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.’

  • Pete Hahnloser@beehaw.orgM
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    6 months ago

    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
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      6 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.