American Airlines faces another lawsuit after flight attendant was convicted of filming girl in Boston-bound plane's bathroom

Rick Sobey, Boston Herald on Aug 7, 2025

Published in News & Features

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

BOSTON — American Airlines is facing yet another lawsuit in connection with the convicted flight attendant who secretly filmed a girl in a Boston-bound plane’s bathroom.

Estes Carter Thompson III, who videotaped at least five young girls using the airplane lavatory over a 9-month period, was recently sentenced to 18.5 years in federal prison.

Attorneys for two of the victims had previously filed two lawsuits against the airline. Now this week, a third lawsuit was filed against American Airlines in federal court.

The victim in this third lawsuit was 11-years old when she was secretly filmed by Thompson using a plane’s toilet. The incident occurred on a flight from Orlando to North Carolina following a family trip to Disney World.

“At his recent sentencing, Thompson apologized to the victims and their families. After nearly two years, American Airlines still hasn’t,” Paul Llewellyn, of Lewis & Llewellyn LLP, said in a statement.

“How many lawsuits will it take before the airline accepts responsibility for what happened on its flights?” the lawyer added. “When children are sexually exploited on your watch, silence speaks volumes.”

Thompson was arrested last year in connection with secretly recording a 14-year-old girl on a flight to Boston.

He also had recordings of four other girl passengers using plane bathrooms, including this girl on the Orlando to North Carolina 2023 flight.

“Disturbingly, the person who filmed her was a male flight attendant, Estes Carter Thompson III, whom she inherently trusted due to his position of authority, and because he had been tasked, by the airline with ensuring her safety,” the new lawsuit reads.

“Worse yet, the airline knew or should have known that the flight attendant was a danger,” the suit adds. “Federal law enforcement confirmed prior instances of the attendant filming other minors in the months before her flight… What began as a memorable family trip to Disney World has become a parent’s worst nightmare.”

The girl has suffered severe emotional distress, including symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and fearfulness, according to the lawsuit.

“This emotional distress has had a fundamental impact on her interpersonal relationships, her schooling, and her ability to function in the world,” the suit reads.

“She is consistently worried about being in a public restroom by herself,” her lawyers wrote. “She asks for someone to come to the bathroom with her. Every time she enters a public restroom, she looks around for a camera.”

The lawsuit is seeking damages for the incident, and to hold the airline accountable.

An American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement, “American’s core mission is to care for people — and the foundation of that is the safety and security of our customers and team. We are reviewing the complaint, and we take the allegations involving a former team member very seriously.”

---------------