American Airlines Sued by 11-Year Old Girl Parents Amid Attendant Crime

CHARLOTTE- The family of an 11-year-old girl secretly filmed in the airplane bathroom by a flight attendant is suing American Airlines (AA) for negligence. The alleged incident happened on American Airlines flight AA2080 from Orlando (MCO) to Charlotte (CLT) in August 2023.

The perpetrator, flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III, is now serving an 18.5-year federal prison sentence. He was caught after trying to film another girl on a later flight from Charlotte (CLT) to Boston (BOS), leading to the discovery of multiple victims.

American Airlines Boeing 737 | Photo: Tim | Flickr

American Airlines Sued by Parents

The civil lawsuit, filed in a North Carolina district court, accuses American Airlines of failing to protect its passengers by employing Thompson without proper screening and oversight.

According to the family’s legal team, the airline either knew or should have known that Thompson was engaging in inappropriate conduct.

The filing states that American Airlines failed to perform a thorough criminal background check prior to hiring Thompson and neglected to supervise him properly.

The suit also claims that the airline didn’t train crew members to identify and report concerning behavior by coworkers—training that, if implemented, may have exposed Thompson earlier.

Thompson had secretly recorded multiple minors by hiding his iPhone in airplane lavatories, including during the August 2023 flight from Orlando to Charlotte. The device was placed under a sticker on the toilet seat, which allowed him to film passengers in the First Class bathroom, PYOK reported.

Photo: Aero Icarus | Flickr

FBI Investigation Uncovers More Victims

Thompson was arrested after a 14-year-old passenger noticed the hidden phone during a Charlotte–Boston flight (CLT–BOS) in September 2023. The girl immediately told her parents, and federal authorities were notified upon landing in Boston (BOS).

The FBI later uncovered sexually explicit images of three additional victims—aged 7, 9, and 11—on Thompson’s iCloud account. One of those victims was identified in October 2023, when FBI agents visited the family in North Carolina and informed them of the recordings involving their daughter.

According to the lawsuit, the parents were shown explicit photos of their child taken mid-flight. After consulting a therapist, they decided to tell their daughter about the incident. Since learning the truth, she has suffered from PTSD, anxiety and remains fearful of public bathrooms nearly two years later.

Photo: Cado Handerson

AA Legal Challenges

This is not the only lawsuit American Airlines is facing in connection with Thompson. In 2024, the parents of a 9-year-old victim also filed suit against the airline. American Airlines initially sought dismissal, arguing it wasn’t responsible for Thompson’s criminal acts.

The case drew further attention when a legal filing—submitted by a law firm representing the airline—implied that the young victim bore some responsibility because she should have known the lavatory was “compromised.” The airline later dropped the firm following backlash over the victim-blaming language.

Thompson is scheduled to return to a Boston courtroom in October 2025 to determine how much restitution he must pay to his victims. However, the girl’s family argues that financial penalties on Thompson are not enough and that American Airlines must also be held accountable.

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