American Airlines is facing a lawsuit over an incident in which one of its employees allegedly recorded a 9-year-old girl as she used an airplane bathroom.
In a twist, the airline is blaming the child herself for the incident.
An attorney for the airline argued that the unnamed “Mary Doe” plaintiff should’ve known she was being recorded — in the bathroom — in Monday court filings, according to the Independent.
“Any injuries or illnesses alleged to have been sustained by Plaintiff, Mary Doe, were proximately caused by Plaintiff’s own fault and negligence, were proximately caused by Plaintiff’s use of the compromised lavatory, which she knew or should have known contained a visible and illuminated recording device,” the filing said.
American Airlines was sued after former flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III was charged with a spree of bathroom recordings of children earlier this year, according to WMAQ-TV.
#BREAKING: Today, the #FBI arrested Estes Carter Thompson III, an American Airlines flight attendant, for allegedly filming minors using aircraft bathrooms. He was taken into custody without incident in Lynchburg, VA. https://t.co/HVE6dDBQl7 pic.twitter.com/R1jcZ5BjtA
— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) January 18, 2024
Prosecutors believe that Thompson filmed passengers on board at least five flights.
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The family of the girl in question expressed outrage at the legal defense in remarks provided to the New York Post.
“I was absolutely shocked, and I think it’s outrageous,” family attorney Paul Llewellyn said of the argument.
“The idea that American Airlines and its lawyers would blame a 9-year-old girl for being filmed, in my opinion, just smacks of desperation and depravity,” he continued.
“What on Earth is American Airlines thinking by adopting such a strategy?”
The girl’s mother was similarly shocked by the argument.
“How in good conscience could they even make such a suggestion?” she asked, the Independent reported.
Thompson has pled not guilty to two federal charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse material depicting a minor.
BREAKING: A male flight attendant has been arrested on suspicion of trying to secretly record a 14-year-old girl in the bathroom, onboard an American Airlines flight last year. Cops say he had video footage of at least four minors on other flights.
Estes Carter Thompson III,… pic.twitter.com/4APhgzoiRO
— IreneBritUSA (@irenebritusa) January 19, 2024
American Airlines argued that Thompson’s alleged illicit recordings occurred “outside the course and scope of his employment” in the same legal filing.
The carrier previously indicated that it took the charges against Thompson “very seriously,” the Post reported.
