Connect with us

Bussiness

American Airlines fires legal team that blamed 9-year-old girl for creepy flight attendant filming her in bathroom

Published

on

American Airlines fires legal team that blamed 9-year-old girl for creepy flight attendant filming her in bathroom

American Airlines fired its legal team after lawyers for the company disturbingly insisted that a 9-year-old girl should have known that she was being filmed in the airline bathroom by a creepy flight attendant.

The change came after American Airlines retracted a filing from an outside law firm that said the girl’s injuries were caused by her “own fault and negligence” — and that when she used the airplane bathroom she “knew or should have known contained a visible and illuminated recording device.”

The airline also apologized and distanced itself from the filing, stressing to The Post on Wednesday, “We do not believe this child is at fault and we take the allegations involving a former team member very seriously.”

Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, was arrested earlier this year for allegedly filming multiple underage girls using the bathroom. AP

Paul Llewellyn, an attorney for the girl’s family, told the Dallas Morning News that they welcomed the decision to ditch the counsel for a new law team.

“With the benefit of this new legal representation, we hope that American Airlines will now take a fresh look at the case and finally take some measure of responsibility for what happened to our client,” Llewellyn told the outlet.

The Post has reached out to American for comment on the change in counsel.

The filing came as part of a lawsuit filed by the girl’s family against the airline.

A 14-year-old passenger noticed an iPhone recording her on the toilet in September 2023. AP

The victim was just one of several girls between the ages of 7 and 14 who were allegedly filmed by flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III, who was arrested earlier this year.

The child’s family filed the lawsuit in February — more than a year after she was allegedly recorded on a January 2023 flight to Los Angeles.

Thompson, 37, was arrested and charged in January following a series of allegations that started when a 14-year-old girl from North Carolina noticed an iPhone was recording her in a plane bathroom in September 2023.

American Airlines apologized for its previous filing that appeared to blame the 9-year-old victim. NurPhoto via Getty Images

The teen even snapped a photo of the sick setup before leaving the restroom.

Authorities determined there were at least four other instances of Thompson allegedly recording a minor while using the bathroom, prosecutors revealed.

Earlier this month, Thompson pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor.

Continue Reading