American Airlines has changed a court filing in response to a lawsuit. This lawsuit involves a former flight attendant accused of recording a 9-year-old girl in an airplane lavatory. The incident occurred on a flight from Texas to California.
American Airlines Alters Filing After Backlash
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American Airlines has revised a court document that initially blamed a 9-year-old girl for not noticing a camera in an airplane lavatory. The incident occurred last year during a flight from Texas to California.
The girl's family sued the airline after the FBI discovered videos of the child on the flight attendant's phone.
In the original court filing, American Airlines claimed that any harm the girl suffered was her own fault for not noticing the recording device.
According to ABS-CBN News, the filing stated that the injuries were "caused by (her) own fault and negligence, were proximately caused by (her) use of the compromised lavatory, which she knew or should have known contained a visible and illuminated recording device."
However, an American Airlines spokesperson later clarified that this was an error made by outside lawyers working for the company.
"We do not believe this child is at fault, and we take the allegations involving a former team member very seriously," the spokesperson said, as quoted in the report.
The airline's lawyers amended the court document in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday. The new filing is shorter and no longer accuses the girl of causing her own injuries.
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The former flight attendant, Estes Carter Thompson III, was fired by American Airlines. He has pleaded not guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse images.
Thompson allegedly tried to record a 14-year-old girl using the bathroom on a flight from Charlotte to Boston. Authorities also found recordings of four girls, including the 9-year-old, on earlier flights.
Thompson, who has been in federal custody since his arrest in January, will appear in federal court in Boston on July 1. He faces up to 30 years in prison for attempted exploitation and up to 20 years for possessing child abuse images, with fines reaching $250,000.
The family of the 14-year-old girl is also suing American Airlines.
Outrage Over Blaming Child; Lawyers Fired
American Airlines has terminated its legal team after they blamed a 9-year-old girl for not noticing a recording device in an airplane bathroom. The device was allegedly placed by a former flight attendant, Estes Carter Thompson III, facing charges for filming minors.
The girl's family sued American Airlines after the FBI found videos of the child on Thompson's phone. In a legal filing, the airline's lawyers argued the girl's injuries were due to her own negligence.
As per the Washington Post, following public backlash, American Airlines terminated the law firm responsible. Meanwhile, the girl's mother expressed outrage, stating she was "disgusted and appalled" at the initial response.
She emphasized the distress her daughter faced and criticized blaming the victim for the actions of an airline employee.
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