A Queens couple is suing Scandinavian Airlines for $10 million after a flight attendant allegedly spilled scalding hot coffee on the 78-year-old woman during an international flight, leaving her severely burned and confined for much of their vacation.
Aymara and Giuseppe Corbo were flying from Copenhagen to Oslo on April 3, 2024, on a connecting flight to begin a cruise around the British Isles. According to court documents obtained by The NY Post, the incident occurred around 10 am during in-flight beverage service, when a flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of "excessively" hot coffee onto Ms Aymara's lap.
The couple alleges that the steaming liquid caused Ms Aymara to suffer "severe burns, pain, and suffering," along with "scarring and cosmetic deformity." Ms Aymara, a retired bookkeeper, was left in significant distress and unable to fully participate in the remainder of their more than two-week trip.
The Corbos, both retired, are seeking $10 million in damages for Ms Aymara's injuries. Giuseppe Corbo, 86, a former employee of the New York City Housing Authority, is also seeking $1 million in damages.
Their attorney, Jonathan Reiter, said that the burns left Ms Aymara "pretty much room-bound" throughout the vacation.
Last September, a couple filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines after their 4-year-old son was burned by hot coffee on a flight from Orlando to Chicago. The beverage was reportedly spilled by a flight attendant, causing second-degree burns to the child's buttocks. The family claimed that the crew was unapologetic and failed to handle the situation properly, even forcing the child to sit on his injuries during landing. The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $75,000.
In December 2023, a woman sued Delta Airlines after she was severely burned by a cup of excessively hot coffee during a flight from Paris to Seattle. The woman suffered first- and second-degree burns on her hip, side, and abdomen. Paramedics later described her burns as among the worst they had seen in a coffee spill case.
