American Airlines has fired its legal team after the airline’s lawyers made disturbing claims that the airline should have known that a 9-year-old girl was being filmed by a creepy flight attendant in an airplane bathroom.
The change came after American Airlines withdrew allegations from an outside law firm that the girl’s injuries were the result of “her own negligence and carelessness” and that she “knew or should have known that a visible, illuminated recording device was installed” when she used the plane’s bathroom.
The airline also apologized and distanced itself from the lawsuit, stressing to The Washington Post on Wednesday that “we do not believe the child was at fault and take the allegations concerning our former team member very seriously.”
Paul Llewellyn, the lawyer for the girl’s family, said: He told the Dallas Morning News he welcomed the decision to fire his attorney and assemble a new legal team.
“We are hopeful that with the help of this new counsel, American Airlines will be able to re-examine this case and ultimately take some responsibility for what happened to our client,” Llewellyn told the outlet.
American Airlines confirmed the change in counsel in an email to The Washington Post on Wednesday.
The lawsuit was filed as part of a lawsuit brought by the girl’s family against the airline.
The victim was one of several girls between the ages of 7 and 14 who were allegedly photographed by flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III, who was arrested earlier this year.
The girl’s family filed the lawsuit in February, more than a year after the incident, which saw the girl allegedly board a January 2023 flight to Los Angeles.
Thompson, 37, was arrested and charged in January following a series of allegations that began in September 2023 when a 14-year-old girl from North Carolina noticed her iPhone recording her in an airplane bathroom.
The teenager even took a photo of the horrific scene before leaving the bathroom.
Prosecutors said they determined there were at least four other instances in which Thompson allegedly recorded minors while using the restroom.
Earlier this month, Thompson pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography depicting a minor.
