American Airlines Retracts Blame on 9-Year-Old in Hidden Camera Incident

American Airlines is facing intense scrutiny after a court filing initially blamed a nine-year-old girl for not noticing a hidden camera allegedly planted by a flight attendant in an aircraft bathroom. The incident has sparked widespread outrage, prompting the airline to distance itself from the controversial legal defense.

Key Points:

• Initial Legal Filing
  Attorneys for American Airlines initially claimed that the child’s injuries were due to her “own fault and negligence,” arguing that she should have noticed the “visible and illuminated recording device.”

• Airline's Retraction
  On Thursday, an American Airlines spokesperson clarified that this defense was an error by external attorneys. "Our outside legal counsel retained with our insurance company made an error in this filing. We do not believe this child is at fault and we take the allegations involving a former team member very seriously," the spokesperson stated.

• Allegations Against Flight Attendant
  Former flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III, 36, is accused of taping his iPhone to the toilet seat and recording young girls using the airplane bathroom. He faces charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse images.

The incident came to light when the FBI informed the nine-year-old's family that videos of their daughter were found on Thompson's phone. The family, who had flown from Texas to California last year, is now suing American Airlines.

Public and Legal Reactions:

• Attorney's Outrage
  Paul Llewellyn, representing the nine-year-old and a 14-year-old also allegedly recorded by Thompson, condemned the airline’s initial defense as "shocking and outrageous." He added, "American Airlines should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves."

• Family's Response
  The nine-year-old's mother expressed her disbelief and indignation, stating through her attorney, “How in good conscience could they even make such a suggestion?”

Thompson, who was arrested in January and has remained in federal custody, has pled not guilty to the charges. He is accused of having recordings of four girls and attempting to record a 14-year-old on a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston.

Legal Proceedings: The court filing was amended on Wednesday to remove the accusation that the girl's injuries were her own fault. The case is progressing through a state district court in Austin, with Thompson due in federal court in Boston on July 1.

American Airlines’ swift retraction of the controversial defense highlights the gravity of the allegations and the importance of upholding the safety and dignity of all passengers, especially children.

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