UNION COUNTY, N.C. — After a former American Airlines flight attendant was sentenced to federal prison for illegally recording passengers in an airplane lavatory, a family is filing a new lawsuit, saying the airline didn’t do enough to prevent the issue.
A Union County family’s attorney spoke with Channel 9’s Hunter Sáenz and said the young girl has been scarred by the incident, now suffering from depression, anxiety, and much more.
Estes Carter Thompson was caught recording a young girl on a flight to Charlotte back in 2023, and the FBI found evidence that it had happened on multiple flights. Evidence showed that he would tape a smartphone in the lavatory to record passengers, including an 11-year-old girl, using the bathroom.
The family in Union County just filed a federal lawsuit against AA after the incident during a trip to Disney World in August of 2023.
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Their attorney said the case came to light after another victim flew from Charlotte to Boston in September of 2023 and spotted the hidden iPhone. During the FBI’s investigation, they found other victims in Thompson’s iCloud account. FBI agents then knocked on the door of the Union County family and showed the child’s mother pictures that Thompson had taken of her daughter’s private parts on board the plane.
The family’s attorney said American Airlines should have known Thompson was a risk to minors because they argue his coworkers had made complaints to the airline about his conduct before this happened.
In March, Thompson pleaded guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of children... And possession of child pornography. In that plea deal, he admitted to filming five girls in total, including the victim from Union County. He’s currently serving an 18-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
AA was also sued by the family of the girl who found the iPhone. The airline settled that lawsuit earlier this year.
American Airlines released a statement regarding the incident saying:
“American’s core mission is to care for people — and the foundation of that is the safety and security of our customers and team. We are reviewing the complaint, and we take the allegations involving a former team member very seriously.”
If you suspect someone of child sexual abuse material, or you are a victim of child sexual abuse material, help is available. Click here for resources available to you.
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