CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Editor’s note: This article discusses sexual crimes against children. While nothing is described in detail, reader discretion is advised.

More than a week after a former American Airlines flight attendant was sentenced for secretly recording a teen girl in a plane bathroom in 2023, another family is now suing the air carrier, claiming the exact same thing happened to them that year.

WCNC Charlotte reviewed the new lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday and uploaded into the federal courts’ PACER system in the Western District of North Carolina. The Union County family claims the then-11-year-old girl and her parents flew from Charlotte to Orlando, Florida, for a trip to Walt Disney World in August 2023. The flight they were on was manned by a crew that included Estes Carter Thompson III. 

The family said the girl, who is now 13 years old, was secretly filmed as she used the bathroom during the flight.

The suit said the family was alerted by the FBI months later, in October 2023, when agents showed them photos of the girl taken as she used the bathroom. Those images were recovered from Thompson’s iCloud account.

The family said the revelation that the girl was filmed secretly has inflicted severe emotional distress on her and that she’s afraid of using public restrooms now. She’s also scared of flying on any plane in the future.

According to the lawsuit, federal agents found images of minor victims on Thompson’s iCloud account who were aged 7, 9, 11, and 14 years old at the time. There were also over 50 images of a 9-year-old in the account as well, per the suit, along with hundreds of AI-generated images depicting child sexual abuse.

Thompson pleaded guilty in late July 2025 to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor. He was sentenced to more than 18 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. 

The family’s suit claims American Airlines was negligent because there were other instances of misconduct involving Thompson and minors, and that multiple employees had even complained to the company.  The family wants monetary and exemplary damages and for the case to be heard in front of a jury.

WCNC Charlotte has reached out to American Airlines, which is based in Dallas, Texas, for a response. Should a response be provided, this article will be updated.

Union County is about 30 miles southwest of Charlotte.

If you or a loved one is facing domestic violence, help is readily available. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. Resources for help are available in both North Carolina and South Carolina.

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