Teen girl who says she discovered camera in plane bathroom files lawsuit against American Airlines – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The family of a North Carolina teen has sued American Airlines, saying a flight attendant installed an iPhone on the plane’s toilet to record her using the bathroom during a flight in September.

Lawyers for the 14-year-old and her parents say American Airlines “knew or should have known that the flight attendant posed a danger.” They said the failure of other crew members to confiscate the employee’s phone allowed him to destroy evidence.

The lawsuit against Fort Worth-based American Airlines and the unidentified flight attendant was filed Friday in the U.S. District Court in North Carolina.

American said the flight attendant was “taken offline” immediately after the alleged incident and has not worked since.

“We take this matter seriously and are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities,” American said in a prepared statement.

According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred on a Sept. 2 flight from Charlotte to Boston.

The girl said that while she was waiting to use the bathroom in the economy section, where her family was sitting, the flight attendant asked her to use the bathroom in the first class cabin. He first went into the bathroom saying he needed to wash his hands, then came out a minute later to tell the girl that the seat was broken but she didn’t need to worry about that.

The girl said that after she used the restroom, she noticed an iPhone mostly hidden by red airline tape that said “REMOVE FROM SERVICE” — but the camera flash was glowing.

The girl was “shocked and frightened,” the lawsuit said. “It immediately occurred to her that someone had put the phone there to film her using the toilet.”

She took her own photo of the device.

The family’s lawyers suggested that the flight attendant remove the phone and delete the girl’s photos before allowing her father to see his iPhone photos.

The family said an FBI agent later told the girl’s mother that they did not arrest the man because they did not find any incriminating photos of him on his phone.

The family’s lawyers said they did not know the flight attendant’s name, where he lived, or whether he was still working for American. They said the 14-year-old was being treated for shock.

Neither the girl nor her family was identified in the lawsuit. The Associated Press does not name victims of sexual assault or assault unless they come forward publicly.