American Airlines said in court documents filed this week that it was “misguided” in accusing a 9-year-old girl of being secretly recorded by one of the airline’s flight attendants.
In January, flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III, 36, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was arrested on suspicion of photographing children while working for the Fort Worth-based airline. The charges this week involve a lawsuit brought by a 9-year-old girl and her Texas family who were traveling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Los Angeles for a gymnastics meet and a visit to Disneyland.
“Our outside legal counsel, engaged by our insurance company, made an error in this complaint,” an American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement. “The defense that was submitted was not representative of our company, and we have directed a revision this morning. We do not believe the child was at fault, and we take the allegations involving a former team member very seriously. Our core mission is caring for people, and the foundation of that is the safety and security of our customers and team.”
Solicitor Paul Llewellyn, one of the lawyers representing the family, previously said: Dallas Morning News The situation is “every parent’s worst nightmare.”
On Wednesday, the airline filed a second response, removing a defense that initially said “any injuries or illnesses allegedly suffered by Plaintiff were caused directly by Plaintiff’s own negligence or omission, resulting directly from Plaintiff’s use of a damaged restroom that he knew or should have known contained a visibly illuminated recording device.”
“Instead of taking responsibility for this horrible incident, American Airlines is blaming our daughter for being filmed,” the girl’s mother said in a statement.. “How could they in good conscience make such a proposal? We are shocked and outraged. There is no shame in American Airlines.”
A 14-year-old girl and her family also filed a lawsuit against American Airlines and Thompson after the girl took photos of a cell phone that had a sticker that only a flight attendant would have attached to the toilet seat lid. The incident occurred in September when the girl and her family were traveling from Charlotte to Boston. The girl discovered the phone after using the restroom. Llewellyn and his firm are also representing the 14-year-old girl.
“American Airlines faced strong backlash from the media and the public,” Llewellyn said. “In my view, American’s claim that it misreported is completely unreliable and they should never have taken that position in the first place.”
Police searched Thompson’s iCloud account and found four more instances of minors using the plane’s bathroom, including a 9-year-old girl from Austin, between January and August 2023. American Airlines said the flight attendant was immediately suspended following the Boston incident and has not worked since.
According to the Department of Justice, Thompson has been charged with one count of attempted sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a minor. He pleaded not guilty to those charges this week.
The attempted child sexual exploitation charge can carry a sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison. Possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor can carry a sentence of 5 to 20 years in prison. Both charges also carry a minimum sentence of 5 years to life probation, a maximum fine of $250,000, and restitution.
