This story just gets worse and worse.
It seems that the underlying facts are true.
And now AA have fired their lawyers (from the Washington Post):
"American Airlines has disavowed a response from its lawyers that blamed a 9-year-old girl for using an airplane bathroom with an active recording device, allegedly placed there by a former employee.
The airline said that what it described as “outside legal counsel retained with our insurance company” made an error in filing a legal argument Monday responding to a lawsuit filed by the girl’s family. American has fired that law firm and replaced it on the case, the company confirmed.
The girl is one of several children whom Estes Carter Thompson III allegedly filmed in lavatories while working as a flight attendant. He was arrested earlier this year and has a court appearance scheduled for July 1.
American’s lawyers wrote that the child’s alleged harm had been caused by her own “fault and negligence” because of her “use of the compromised lavatory, which she knew or should have known contained a visible and illuminated recording device,” according to documents provided to The Washington Post by the law firm representing her family. American’s attorneys also argued that the airline cannot be held liable or responsible for Thompson’s alleged actions.
The child’s mother, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the nature of the alleged crime, said in an interview that she was “disgusted and appalled” at the airline’s initial response to the lawsuit. When lawyers for the family called to inform her of the legal filing, she said she was in shock.
“My first question was: ‘Are they really blaming my daughter?’” she said. “I saw red.”
The airline faced swift criticism for the filing, the latest chapter of the case that has generated widespread interest since Thompson was arrested in January.
A 14-year-old passenger on a flight between Charlotte and Boston last September noticed an iPhone hidden in a lavatory a flight attendant had directed her to use. (Lewis and Llewellyn/AP)
“The included defense is not representative of our airline and we have directed it be amended this morning,” American Airlines said in a statement. “We do not believe this child is at fault and we take the allegations involving a former team member very seriously.”
Terrible.
IB