Fifteen litigants from California, Connecticut, Florida and Texas sued American Airlines Group Inc. and its former employee Joseph Freeman, alleging that Freeman carried out a "terror campaign" by using social media, phone calls and texts to harass the plaintiffs.

But plaintiffs' counsel suggested that the airline might be gearing for a defense that distances it from the alleged misconduct by possibly arguing that the former employee's position did not give him access to customer information.

The plaintiffs were passengers on a commercial flight operated by American Airlines or its subsidiaries Envoy Aviation Group Inc. and Envoy Air Inc, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut.