CHARLOTTE — American Airlines is settling a lawsuit with the family of a Charlotte teenager who was secretly recorded in the bathroom while on a flight to Boston.
Channel 9 has been covering this story since it broke. Police say AA flight attendant Estes Thompson III tried to record the Charlotte teenager in the lavatory on a 2023 flight.
Thompson is still in federal custody and facing criminal charges in connection with the alleged incidents.
The victim’s parents filed a civil lawsuit against AA and Thompson, saying her privacy was violated after she found one of Thompson’s cell phones taped to the inside of a toilet lid.
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The legal battle had been ongoing for over a year, and an attorney for AA appeared to blame the child for not noticing the recording device at first -- the company retracted that argument and apologized after the blowback.
Channel 9 learned of the settlement on Thursday. The details of the settlement are confidential, but the family’s attorney says it is “reasonable and proper ... [and] in the best interests of the minor-plaintiff and adequately protects the minor-plaintiff’s interest.”
Attorneys for AA and the family are asking a federal judge to approve it.
The outcome of this lawsuit isn’t expected to affect the criminal charges against Thompson.
(VIDEO: Charlotte-area victims of the D.C. mid-air collision who worked for American Airlines)
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