A Tennessee woman has filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines and a flight attendant for burns she claims were caused by hot tea.
Angelica Keller claims when she requested hot tea, the flight attendant brought her a cup of hot water inside another cup with the tea bag packet inside.
The suit alleges when Keller tried to remove the tea bag wedged between the cups, the water spilled on her lap. Keller claims she suffered second-degree burns from the water.
The suit also claims Southwest failed “to warn [her]… of any potential danger involved in the delivery of hot tea during a flight." The suit also claims Southwest allowed the water to be too hot for a flight.
In a statement, Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz told CNN that “the referenced event is unfortunate, and we are currently reviewing it. We can’t provide additional details due to the pending lawsuit that was filed.
Keller is seeking $300,000 for medical bills, injuries and pain and $500,000 in punitive damages.
The case is drawing comparisons to another high-profile case involving a hot beverage. Stella Liebeck sued McDonalds, claiming her spilled cup of coffee led to third-degree burns. After a long court battle, a jury awarded Liebeck $2.7 million in punitive damages, although a judge later reduced the amount. Liebeck and McDonalds eventually reached a confidential settlement.
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