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American Airlines Blames 9 Year Old Girl for being Filmed in Bathroom (www.dailymail.co.uk)
submitted 6 months ago by UNIX84@beehaw.org to c/usnews@beehaw.org
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American Airlines has been accused of blaming a nine-year-old girl for being filmed in the plane's bathrooms by a male flight attendant.

Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, was arrested in January after he allegedly recorded four underaged girls - aged 7, 9, 11 and 14- as they used the bathroom aboard several AA flights.

In their response to a lawsuit filed by the nine-year-old's family, American Airlines put forward several defenses, including that they are not responsible because of 'the doctrine of comparative negligence, contributory negligence, comparative responsibility and/or comparative causation.'

AA's legal defense continues: 'Defendant would show that any injuries or illnesses alleged to have been sustained by Plaintiff, Mary Doe, were proximately caused by Plaintiff’s own fault and negligence, were proximately caused by Plaintiff’s use of the compromised lavatory, which she knew or should have known contained a visible and illuminated recording device.'

Explaining the defense in plain English, the plaintiff's lawyer Caroline Recupero said: 'In other words, American Airlines is blaming a 9-year-old-girl for being filmed by an American Airlines flight attendant, arguing the child knew or should have known that the airplane toilet contained a recording device.'

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[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 22 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I don't want to live in a world where I have to assume there are recording devices in bathrooms. 😬

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 4 points 5 months ago

From the photos, it was a very crudely taped iPhone to a toilet seat, maybe enough to fool a 9 year old, but clearly not to fool anyone with more critical thinking, like the 14 year old who reported it.

What you should worry about, are the well disguised hidden cameras installed by professionals...

[–] t3rmit3@beehaw.org 10 points 6 months ago

Anything to maximize profits, including demonizing kids your employees hurt to avoid paying rightful damages.

Crapitalism.

[–] natecox@programming.dev 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

AA is my airline of choice, so I guess it’s time to find a new one.

[–] dsco@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 5 months ago (2 children)

As a constant international flyer, I will only use Delta.

[–] UNIX84@beehaw.org 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Zero problems with Delta in many years of international flights with them. The best US based company, IMO.

My only problem is that their partner for Africa is Air France aka Air Chance, a complete shit show of an airline that never runs on time, has quite rude staff, uncomfortable seats, and makes travellers to its West African flights bus out to the tarmac to get on the plane in Paris.

I guess the world is about to find out about the dogshit that is Air France and CDG when the olympics starts in a few weeks.

[–] dsco@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 5 months ago

Okay, nailed it there. That was almost the worst part when flying to Tunis, seconded only by their very strange choice of food... I had a crash course in Muslim bidets after my first Air France trip.

[–] TehPers@beehaw.org 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I haven't had issues with Delta (aside from their website not working at all for me sometimes), but the tickets can be a little expensive compared to alternatives, so always good to shop around.

[–] Powderhorn@beehaw.org 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

What the actual fuck. Putting corporations ahead of people is pretty much where fascism lands.

So much pearl-clutching is about what government does while conveniently ignoring what government allows.

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 2 points 5 months ago

It's lawyers being lawyers, they throw all the 💩 they can and see what sticks ,particularly when paid for the hour, or on a hefty retainer they need to justify.

That BS "defense" should get thrown out of court in no time.

[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 3 points 6 months ago

🤖 I'm a bot that provides automatic summaries for articles:

Click here to see the summaryAmerican Airlines has been accused of blaming a nine-year-old girl for being filmed in the plane's bathrooms by a male flight attendant.

Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, was arrested in January after he allegedly recorded four underaged girls - aged 7, 9, 11 and 14- as they used the bathroom aboard several AA flights.

'It felt like we were living in a nightmare when the FBI showed up on our doorstep to tell us that our daughter had been secretly filmed by an American Airlines flight attendant.

An important part of our family’s healing is making sure that the flight attendant and American Airlines are held accountable for what happened to our daughter.

Investigators said that about midway through the September 2, 2023, flight from Charlotte to Boston, the 14-year-old got up to use the main cabin lavatory nearest to her seat but found it was occupied.

A search of his iCloud account allegedly revealed four additional instances between January and August 2023 in which Thompson recorded a minor using the lavatory on an aircraft.

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