The parents of a 9-year-old Austin girl are suing American Airlines over allegations that a flight attendant secretly filmed their daughter while she used a bathroom on a flight.
The same flight attendant already faces federal criminal charges in another incident where a teenage girl discovered a cell phone concealed in an airplane toilet. Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, of Charlotte was arrested last month and remains in federal custody on charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography, according to federal prosecutors in Massachusetts.
In this latest lawsuit, the Austin family says they were flying to Los Angeles in January 2023. When the 9-year-old got up to use the restroom, Thompson asked her to wait outside while he cleaned up a mess. The girl then used the restroom and returned to her seat.
According to the lawsuit, FBI agents showed up at the family’s home almost a year later and told the parents that their daughter had been secretly filmed by Thompson. The images were found on the flight attendant’s iCloud account.
The child has since been “terrified and deeply concerned about her personal safety,” according to the lawsuit, and suffers from depression, irritability and anxiety.
American Airlines, which is based in Fort Worth, did not immediately respond to an email Wednesday from the Star-Telegram seeking comment.
In the case that resulted in criminal charges, a 14-year-old from North Carolina discovered a cell phone taped to the toilet seat lid on a Sept. 2 flight from Charlotte to Boston. She told her parents, and law enforcement met the plane when it landed.
Shortly after that incident, authorities said a search of Thompson’s iCloud account revealed four more instances between January and August 2023 of him recording minors using lavatories on planes. The victims were said to be 7, 9, 11 and 14 years old, prosecutors said.
At the time, American Airlines said in a statement to the Star-Telegram that “we take this matter very seriously and are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities.”
