In court documents, the counsel for American Airlines stated that a 9-year-old girl “should have been aware” that an attendant had hidden a camera under the toilet seat.
Estes Carter III, 37, has been accused by federal prosecutors of filming several young girls between the ages of seven and fourteen in seven months.

According to Paul Llewellyn the family attorney, one of the victims’ families who filed a suit against the airline, Thompson was “outraged”, “angry”, and “furious” when the attorneys for the airline designated the girl as a culprit.

“I cannot imagine a situation in which it is acceptable to point at a child of nine years old and say, ‘It’s not our fault. ‘” You are responsible for this. Llewellyn replied with a resounding, “no,” when asked if this defense had ever been used before. He said, “You should’ve known that you were being recorded.” “No, never.”

In a court filing the attorneys for American Airlines stated that “Any injuries or illness alleged to be sustained by Mary Doe were proximately due to plaintiff’s fault and negligence. They were proximately due to Plaintiff’s use or misuse of the compromised toilet, which she should have known or knew contained a visible, illuminated recording device.”

Llewellyn said that his family was “absolutely horrified” when they read this defense.

She is one of the four alleged victims who were 7, 9, 11 and 14 years old. According to the civil suit, one of the victims noticed a phone camera flash hidden beneath the toilet seat. The sign underneath the seat read “SEAT BROKEN”, and it was taped up.

According to the lawsuit she took a picture of it and showed it to her mom, which sparked her parents’ anger.

The father of the girl immediately went up to the flight attendants and asked, “What in the world just happened with my daughter in the first class bathroom?” While maintaining the phone’s picture beneath the lid of the toilet.

The telephone Estes Carter Thomson III, an American Airlines flight hostess who is allegedly responsible for recording girls using the bathroom in the restroom, tapped on the toilet seat.
According to reports, Estes Carter Thomson III, an American Airlines flight hostess, was responsible for recording the girls in restrooms. The tape was hidden under the toilet seat. (Litigation against the federal government).

American Airlines retracted its attorneys’ defense and appeared to distance itself from the team of defense attorneys in a public “groveling” statement, in response to the lawyer for the family who accused the airline of victim-blaming. This was in response both to news reports and the attorney’s accusations.

American Airlines said that the external legal counsel of our insurance company prepared this filing incorrectly. We have asked that the defense be changed today, as it does not reflect our airline.

“We believe that this child was not at fault and are very concerned by the accusations made against a former member of our team.” Our fundamental mission is to care for people, and the safety and security of both our team and our customers are paramount.

Llewellyn read out the statement from the airline that was published Wednesday morning. However, the bell could not be unrung.

Thompson is facing a federal criminal investigation for the 14-year old who found the hidden phone.

The lawsuit claims that Llewellyn brought a civil suit in Texas Supreme Court for the family of the 9 year old, who found their daughter’s explicit pictures and face on Thompson’s cellphone from federal investigators several months after the flight.

Unknowingly, the young girl was exposed to radiation during a family flight from New York City to Disneyland in 2023.

In the civil suit, it is alleged that “what at first was intended to be an unforgettable family vacation turned into an unavoidable horror.” The airline could have prevented this nightmare.

The civil lawsuit claims that the young survivor of the incident has suffered from symptoms such as insomnia and anxiety since receiving information about the incident.

According to the legal proceedings, “This emotional stress has fundamentally affected her interpersonal relationships and her ability function in the real world.”

“I cannot imagine a situation in which it is acceptable to point at a child of nine years old and say, It’s not our fault. This is your fault. You should have known that you were being recorded,” Paul Llewellyn attorney said.

Llewellyn said that the airline’s strategy of blaming the girl for her own mistakes re-traumatized the girl.

Llewellyn said, “They (American Airlines), should have never adopted this defense to begin with.” One media outlet called it a groveling declaration, and I agree.

According to the federal complaint, the 14-year old girl, who is also one of Thompson’s alleged victim, was experiencing similar symptoms of post-traumatic disorder.

The criminal complaint relates to allegations regarding the adolescent that discovered the hidden phone.

Since the allegations on her flight from Charlotte, North Carolina to Boston in September 2023 were revealed, she’s been “nervous and fearful” when speaking with others.

She is perpetually worried about being alone in the public.” The criminal complaint, for example, alleges that the woman insists on wearing a self-defense band with a small knife when she goes outside to exercise.

Thompson, the flight attendant, was indicted on federal charges last month of attempted sexual exploitation and possession of images depicting child sexual abuse.

He entered a not guilty plea to all charges last week.

He was first apprehended by Virginia authorities in January 2024. Since then, he has been held in federal custody.

Court documents allege that prosecutors discovered hundreds of explicit images of artificial intelligence-generated child pornography on his iCloud account, in addition to the images of the victims he is accused of recording during the flight.

Thompson has been “immediately removed from service” since the discovery of the phone.

If convicted, he will be sentenced to 15-30 years of prison for attempted sexual exploitation. Possession of images showing sexual assault on a prepubescent child is punishable with a maximum 20-year prison sentence.

Both offenses are punishable by a fine up to $250,000. They also carry restitution and supervision for at least five years, but not more than a lifetime.