Estes Carter Thompson III : Lawyers Blame Child Victim Airplane Incident

The parents of a 9-year-old Texas girl who was secretly filmed while using an airplane lavatory are expressing outrage after lawyers for American Airlines placed blame on their child for the incident.

“Instead of accepting responsibility for this distressing event, American Airlines is pointing the finger at our daughter for being filmed,” the girl’s mother stated, as reported by the Boston Herald. “How can they even suggest such a thing? It is both shocking and infuriating. American Airlines should be ashamed of themselves.”

Legal representatives for the airline argued in a recent filing that the child should have been aware of a recording device in the lavatory.

“Any alleged injuries or illnesses suffered by the Plaintiff, Mary Doe, were a result of the Plaintiff’s own negligence and fault, as well as her use of the compromised lavatory, which contained a visible and illuminated recording device,” the document read.

Paul Llewellyn, representing the unnamed girl and her family in the lawsuit against American Airlines, expressed his disbelief at the airline’s stance.

“The family is absolutely livid about this claim,” Llewellyn told the New York Post. “I was completely shocked and find it outrageous. Blaming a 9-year-old girl for being filmed is a desperate and depraved strategy. What is American Airlines thinking?”

The incident came to light in September when a flight attendant, identified as 36-year-old Estes Carter Thompson III, allegedly directed a 14-year-old girl to use the restroom in the first-class section of the aircraft. The teen discovered an iPhone taped under the toilet seat lid, took a photo of it, and informed her parents, according to The Dallas Express.

An investigation revealed secret recordings of four minors, aged 7, 9, 11, and 14, using the airplane lavatory, as well as numerous AI-generated images of child pornography on Thompson’s iCloud account. The recordings were made over several months.

The parents of the young girls were informed of the findings by law enforcement, and the families of the 14-year-old and the 9-year-old have both initiated legal action against the airline. Thompson is facing federal charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography.

In the civil court filing, the airline’s lawyers also attributed blame to Thompson for the incident, absolving themselves of responsibility as his employer.

“Defendant Thompson was not acting within the course and scope of his employment at the time of the alleged wrongful conduct against Plaintiff… this Defendant (American) cannot be held vicariously liable for Defendant Thompson’s alleged actions that occurred outside the course and scope of his employment,” the filing stated.

However, American Airlines released a statement on Wednesday clarifying that the filing, prepared by external legal counsel, was erroneous and did not reflect the airline’s position on the matter.

“We do not believe the child is to blame, and we are taking the allegations involving a former team member very seriously. Our primary mission is to care for people, and the foundation of that is the safety and security of our customers and team,” the statement read.

Llewellyn, representing both families involved in the lawsuit, highlighted that the airline had not reached out to either family since the incident came to light.

“Instead of taking action, they issued a generic PR response with empty statements. Actions speak louder than words. It’s time for them to act,” he remarked.