American Airlines fired its legal team after a nine-year-old girl was blamed for being filmed in a plane bathroom by a flight attendant.
Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, was arrested in January after he allegedly recorded four underage girls (ages 7, 9, 11 and 14) while using the bathroom aboard several AA flights. He has pleaded not guilty.
In its response to a lawsuit filed by the nine-year-old boy’s family, the airline argued that it was not liable to the alleged victim because he should have realized that the bathroom was equipped with a recording device.
The airline was forced to issue a humiliating apology blaming its outside legal counsel for the mistake and have since confirmed to DailyMail.com that they have changed lawyers.
“As a result of the intense media and public reaction surrounding the scandalous allegation, we are not surprised to learn that American Airlines has fired its law firm,” Paul Llewellyn, a lawyer representing the young woman, told DailyMail.com. his family.
A victim entered the bathroom and saw red stickers on the bottom of the toilet seat indicating the seat was broken.
‘With the benefit of this new legal representation, we hope that American Airlines will reconsider the case and finally take some responsibility for what happened to our client.
“Otherwise, we are very confident that a Texas jury will do the right thing and hold American Airlines accountable.”
Llewellyn’s signature said The Dallas Morning News It was notified Friday that Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP would now represent the airline.
American Airlines raised several defenses in the filing, including that they are not liable due to “the doctrine of comparative negligence, contributory negligence, comparative liability, and/or comparative causation.”
The airline’s legal defense continued: ‘The defendant would demonstrate that any injury or illness allegedly suffered by the plaintiff, Mary Doe, was caused approximately by the fault and negligence of the plaintiff, was caused approximately by the plaintiff’s use of the lavatory. compromised, which she knew or should have known contained a visible, illuminated recording device.
Estes Carter Thompson III (pictured), 37, was arrested in January after he allegedly recorded four underage girls – ages 7, 9, 11 and 14 – while they used the bathroom.
The plaintiff’s attorney, Caroline Recupero, said: “In other words, American Airlines blames a 9-year-old girl for being filmed by an American Airlines flight attendant, arguing that the girl knew or should have known that the plane’s bathroom contained a recording device.
“Our company’s position is that this claim is both disgraceful and absolutely scandalous.”
He added: “Our company’s position is that this claim is both disgraceful and absolutely scandalous.”
American Airlines faced backlash online and even the threat of a boycott over the legal response.
The airline said it was a mistake by its outside legal counsel, who was hired by its insurance company.
“The defense included is not representative of our airline and we have ordered it amended this morning,” AA told DailyMail.com on Tuesday.
American Airlines confirmed to DailyMail.com that it changed its legal representation after
“We do not believe this child is at fault and we take the allegations involving a former team member very seriously.”
In the lawsuit, the girl’s parents claim that Thompson took images of the girl in January 2023, while she was using the bathroom on the flight headed to Los Angeles. The girl and her family were headed to Disney World and a gymnastics competition.
The images, recovered from Thompson’s iCloud by the FBI, showed the girl’s face, buttocks and genitals, according to the complaint.
The alleged child abuse materials were found after Thompson was arrested after a 14-year-old girl told her family about the camera in the plane bathroom.
The FBI then found other victims, including the nine-year-old boy from Texas, after searching his devices and iCloud, as well as AI-generated pornography.
