Woman Sues Airline for $10 Million After Flight Attendant Allegedly Spilled Scalding Hot Coffee on Her: Lawsuit

A New York City woman named Aymara Corbo, 78, is suing Scandinavian Airlines for a whopping $10 million in damages after a flight attendant allegedly dropped scalding hot coffee on her. 

According to the recently filed lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE, the incident occurred during Flight SK 1464 on April 3, 2024. Aymara and her husband, Guiseppe Corbo, were traveling from Copenhagen, Denmark, en route to Oslo, Norway. 

During the flights around 10 a.m. local time, a flight attendant allegedly served Aymara an “excessively hot cup of coffee” and “caused the cup of coffee to spill on the plaintiff.” Aymara alleges that the spill caused her “severe burns, pain, suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment, scarring and cosmetic deformity, economic and pecuniary damages.”

As outlined in the lawsuit, Aymara’s legal counsel is invoking the Warsaw Convention Treaty, the Montreal Convention and the International Air Transport Association Inter-Carrier Agreement on Passenger Liability, which are all legal authorities related to liability concerning international air travel, to have all “monetary limits” waived for Scandinavian Airlines, allowing for the $10 million in damages, exclusive of interest and costs. 

As the legal and live-in spouse of Aymara, Giuseppe alleged that he sustained “loss of his wife’s services, society and consortium” and also suffered financial losses due to Aymara’s alleged injuries. For this, counsel is requesting $1 million in damages, exclusive of interest and costs. 

PEOPLE has reached out to the Corbos’ lawyer and Scandinavian Airlines for comment and has not received any response yet. 

Famously, a similar incident occurred in 1992 involving McDonald’s. A woman by the name of Stella Liebeck, 79, spilled hot coffee on her lap while going through a drive-thru window. 

Liebeck initially sought $20,000 from the fast food giant to pay for her medical bills — she sustained third-degree burns and had to get skin grafts — though the restaurant chain countered her demand, offering $800. However, 700 people had complained about the severely hot coffee as the company required the temperature to be between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit, and so Liebeck continued with the suit. 

According to the American Museum of Tort Law, a jury awarded her $200,000 in compensatory damages (reduced to $160,000 due to her being found partially at fault) and $2.7 million in punitive damages (later reduced to $480,000 by the judge). Ultimately, the parties confidentially settled before an appeal was officially decided.