American Airlines blames girl, 9, who 'should have known' flight attendant planted hidden cameras: court docs
Blame on 9-Year-Old for Hidden Camera: Justified?
American Airlines faced backlash after their lawyers claimed a 9-year-old girl should have known about a hidden camera placed by flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III under a toilet seat. Thompson, accused of filming multiple girls, prompted a family to sue after discovering their daughter was filmed. American Airlines later retracted the statement, emphasizing it did not reflect their views and stressed their commitment to customer safety.
What specific allegations are made against Estes Carter Thompson III in the federal criminal case?
Estes Carter Thompson III is facing federal charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor. He allegedly recorded multiple juvenile girls, aged between 7 and 14, using airplane bathrooms during a seven-month period in 2023 while working as a flight attendant for American Airlines. Prosecutors found hundreds of explicit images of AI-generated child pornography on his iCloud account, as well as images of the victims he allegedly recorded during the flights. If convicted, Thompson faces a mandatory 15 to 30 years in prison for attempted sexual exploitation of children, and up to 20 years for possessing images of child sexual abuse.
How did American Airlines initially respond in court filings to the lawsuit filed by one of the victims' families?
American Airlines initially responded to the lawsuit filed by one of the victims' families by suggesting that the 9-year-old girl was at fault for not noticing a camera hidden under the toilet seat. The airline's lawyers argued in court filings that any injuries or illnesses the girl suffered were "proximately caused by plaintiff’s own fault and negligence" because she used the compromised lavatory which she "knew or should have known contained a visible and illuminated recording device." This defense was met with outrage and anger from the victim's family and their lawyer, Paul Llewellyn, who found it inappropriate to blame a child for such an incident.