American Airways Authorized Submitting Blames Woman, 9, Who Was Allegedly Filmed in Lavatory

Attorneys for American Airways claimed in a courtroom submitting this week {that a} 9-year-old who was allegedly filmed by a flight attendant’s hidden telephone in an airplane toilet is in charge for the incident.

In response to the amended civil lawsuit filed in Travis County, Texas, on April 20, and introduced by the household of the 9-year-old lady, attorneys for the corporate steered in a Monday, Might 20, submitting that the unnamed alleged sufferer was at fault since she ought to have been conscious that she was being recorded whereas utilizing the lavatory throughout a January 2023 flight from Austin, Texas, to Los Angeles, Calif.

“Any accidents or sicknesses alleged to have been sustained by Plaintiff, Mary Doe, have been proximately brought on by Plaintiff’s personal fault and negligence, have been proximately brought on by Plaintiff’s use of the compromised bathroom, which she knew or ought to have identified contained a visual and illuminated recording machine,” the submitting, which was reviewed by PEOPLE, states.

The corporate’s attorneys additionally stated within the submitting that the accused flight attendant, recognized as Estes Carter Thompson III, “was not performing inside the course and scope of his employment on the time of the alleged wrongful conduct in opposition to Plaintiff.”

In an emailed assertion to PEOPLE, the 9-year-old lady’s legal professional stated he’s outraged on the firm’s protection.

“Guilty a 9 12 months previous for being filmed whereas utilizing the airplane toilet is each surprising and outrageous,” stated Paul Llewellyn, Lewis & Llewellyn LLP. “In my view this can be a wicked authorized technique that sinks to a brand new low. American Airways must be totally ashamed of themselves.”

“As a substitute of taking duty for this terrible occasion, American Airways is definitely blaming our daughter for being filmed,” the lady’s mom added in an announcement shared with PEOPLE. “How in good conscience might they even make such a suggestion?  It each shocks and angers us. American Airways has no disgrace.”

American Airways later launched an announcement condemning the submitting, saying the corporate’s attorneys made a mistake and that the protection will likely be modified.

“Our exterior authorized counsel retained with our insurance coverage firm made an error on this submitting,” the emailed assertion shared with PEOPLE reads. “The included protection just isn’t consultant of our airline and we’ve directed it’s amended this morning. We don’t consider this youngster is at fault and we take the allegations involving a former group member very severely. Our core mission is to look after individuals — and the muse of that’s the security and safety of our clients and group.”

When the the 9-year-old lady walked to the lavatory through the Jan. 26, 2023 flight, Thompson allegedly requested her to attend, went into the lavatory earlier than her, and instructed her that he wanted to “clear up a multitude” within the bathroom earlier than she used it, in response to the lawsuit, which was additionally reviewed by PEOPLE.

Thompson then entered the lavatory and closed the door behind him whereas the lady waited. Moments later, Thompson exited the lavatory and the lady went inside, the place she partially undressed to make use of the bathroom. She then went again to her seat, in response to the lawsuit.

“Defendant Thompson saved photographs of Mary Doe’s face, unclothed buttocks and genitalia to his iCloud account,” the lawsuit alleges.

This isn’t the primary time Thompson has been accused of secretly recording a minor along with his telephone. Thompson was arrested in January in Lynchburg, Va., after he allegedly filmed a 14-year-old lady utilizing an airplane toilet in September 2023 on a flight from Charlotte, N.C. to Boston, Mass, in response to a assertion launched by the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace on the time. He has been in federal custody since.

Prosecutors allege Thompson satisfied the 14-year-old lady to make use of the services within the first-class part of the aircraft and escorted her there. 

He allegedly entered the lavatory earlier than her and instructed her that the bathroom seat was damaged. When she entered the lavatory, the alleged sufferer noticed pink stickers on the underside of the bathroom seat lid that indicated the bathroom seat was damaged. Thompson’s iPhone was allegedly taped and hidden underneath the stickers in order that he might report video, the assertion claims.

“The minor sufferer used her telephone to take an image of the pink stickers and the hid iPhone she discovered within the bathroom earlier than exiting, at which period Thompson allegedly re-entered it instantly,” per the assertion. The 14-year-old subsequently knowledgeable her dad and mom, who reported the incident to the crew onboard, who then notified authorities.

Authorities allege Thompson additionally had different surreptitiously recorded movies on his telephone of minor females utilizing the lavatory on aircrafts he beforehand labored on.  

“The minor victims allegedly depicted within the surreptitious recordings have been seven, 9, 11 and 14 years previous on the time,” investigators stated within the assertion. “Moreover, over 50 photographs of a nine-year-old unaccompanied minor have been allegedly present in Thompson’s iCloud.” 

The U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace stated in an announcement shared final month that “all minor victims concerned on this matter have been recognized and their households contacted by legislation enforcement.”

In April, Thompson, 36, of Charlotte, N.C., was indicted on one rely of tried sexual exploitation of kids and one rely of possession of kid pornography depicting a prepubescent minor in reference to the alleged incident involving the 14-year-old lady, prosecutors stated.

In accordance with NBC Boston, KVUE, and Boston.com, Thompson pleaded not responsible to the 2 counts in opposition to him in federal courtroom on Might 20. He’s anticipated again in courtroom on July 1, Boston.com studies.

PEOPLE could not instantly establish an legal professional who might communicate on Thompson’s behalf.