Family files lawsuit against American Airlines after violating daughter’s privacy
Date
12/3/2023 8:14:58 AM
(MENAFN) The family of a 14-year-old from North Carolina is taking legal action against American Airlines, asserting that a flight attendant violated their daughter's privacy during a September flight. According to the lawsuit filed in U.S. district court in North Carolina on Friday, the family claims that the flight attendant taped an iPhone to an airplane toilet to record the teenager using the restroom.
The family's lawyers argue that American airlines "knew or should have known the flight attendant was a danger" and that the failure of other crew members to confiscate the employee's phone allowed him to destroy potential evidence. The incident reportedly occurred on a September 2 flight from Charlotte to Boston.
The teenager recounted that, while waiting to use a bathroom in the economy section where her family was seated, the flight attendant directed her to a first-class cabin restroom. After entering the bathroom first, claiming he needed to wash his hands, the flight attendant emerged a minute later, assuring the girl not to worry about a broken seat. Subsequently, the teenager discovered an iPhone concealed behind red airline tape reading "Remove from service" with a glowing camera flash.
The lawsuit emphasizes that the girl was "shocked and scared" upon realizing someone had placed the phone to film her using the toilet. She took her own photo of the device. The family's legal representatives suggest that the flight attendant removed the phone and deleted images of the girl before allowing her father to see his iPhone photos.
American Airlines responded by stating that the flight attendant was immediately "withheld from service" after the alleged incident and has not worked since. The airline asserted its commitment to cooperating fully with law enforcement in the ongoing investigation, emphasizing that safety and security are top priorities.
While the family expressed their serious concerns through legal action, the FBI reportedly did not make an arrest, citing the absence of incriminating images on the flight attendant's phone, according to information relayed to the girl's mother by an FBI agent.
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