American Airlines Facing Heat for Flight Attendant's Shocking Act
Last week, a Union County, N.C. family announced it was filing a lawsuit against the airline, months after former United crew member Estes Carter Thompson pleaded guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography after being caught filming passengers with a hidden camera installed in the plane's lavatory.
Thompson is currently serving an 18-and-a-half year prison sentence. The Union County family's daughter, who was 11 years old at the time, had been filmed while using the bathroom on a return flight to Charlotte from Disney World in 2023.
She is the third victim to come forward, and her family is suing the airline, arguing that it didn't do enough to prevent the incident because some of Thompson's fellow employees had previously complained about his behavior.
The girl has reportedly been left mentally and emotionally scarred by the incident.
"It's just sickening," the family's attorney Paul Llewellyn said in a statement. "There's enough to worry about as a parent. It's the last thing you think when your child uses an airplane bathroom."
This saga began two years ago
The case against Thompson and American Airlines began when a 14-year-old girl traveling from Charlotte to Boston in September of 2023 found the flight attendant's iPhone planted in the lavatory.
After reporting it, the FBI found other victims stored in Thompson's phone, including the Union County, N.C. girl. The FBI then reached out to the victim's family, showing them the illicit photos.
"This happened on their watch," Llewellyn said. "Abuse happened on their watch."
American has acknowledged the accusations
The family of the original victim from the Charlotte to Boston flight also sued American, with the two sides settling earlier this year.
The airline has issued a brief statement on the entire ordeal.
'American's core mission is to care for people — and the foundation of that is the safety and security of our customers and team," the statement reads. "We are reviewing the complaint, and we take the allegations involving a former team member very seriously.'
American Airlines Facing Heat for Flight Attendant's Shocking Act first appeared on Men's Journal on Aug 10, 2025
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