American Airlines retreats after blaming a 9-year-old for not seeing a hidden camera in a lavatory

Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — American Airlines has distanced itself from a tribunal filing successful which nan bearer said a 9-year-old woman should person noticed location was a camera taped to nan spot of an airplane lavatory.

A erstwhile formation attendant is accused of luring girls to usage nan lavatory aft taping his iPhone to nan toilet seat. The 9-year-old’s family flew from Texas to California connected American past twelvemonth and sued nan hose aft nan FBI told them that videos of nan woman were recovered connected nan formation attendant’s phone.

In consequence to nan lawsuit, American said successful a tribunal archive that it would conflict nan family’s declare by showing that immoderate injuries nan 9-year-old woman suffered were caused by nan girl’s “own responsibility and negligence, were proximately caused by (her) usage of nan compromised lavatory, which she knew aliases should person known contained a visible and illuminated signaling device.”

An American spokesperson said Thursday that extracurricular lawyers moving for nan institution “made an correction successful this filing.”

“We do not judge this kid is astatine fault, and we return nan allegations involving a erstwhile squad personnel very seriously,” nan spokesperson said.

Lawyers for nan hose amended nan filing Wednesday successful a authorities territory tribunal successful Austin, Texas. The caller filing is shorter and deletes nan accusation that nan woman caused her ain injuries.

Estes Carter Thompson III, a formation attendant who was later fired by American, pleaded not blameworthy this week to attempted intersexual exploitation of children and possession of images of kid intersexual abuse.

Authorities opportunity Thompson, 37, tried to secretly grounds video of a 14-year-old woman utilizing nan bath connected a formation from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston, and had recordings of 4 girls including nan 9-year-old utilizing lavatories connected earlier flights. He was arrested successful January and has been successful national custody ever since.

Thompson is adjacent owed successful national tribunal successful Boston connected July 1. The charges he faces transportation maximum sentences of up to 30 and 20 years successful situation and fines of up to $250,000.

The 14-year-old’s family is besides suing American, which is based successful Fort Worth.