Singapore Airlines Faces $176K Lawsuit After Singer Claims Business Class Satay Skewer Injured Her Voice

Singapore Airlines (SQ) is facing a lawsuit in the United States after a Los Angeles-based singer, actress, and wellness educator alleged that a wooden splinter from a Business Class chicken satay skewer became lodged in her throat during a flight, causing injuries that she says have affected her professional singing voice.

According to The Independent, the complaint was filed on July 24, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, seeking damages of up to 128,821 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)—equivalent to roughly US$176,000 at current exchange rates. The case stems from an incident aboard Singapore Airlines Flight SQ36, a nonstop service from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on July 28, 2024.

Passenger Claims Wooden Splinter Became Lodged in Her Throat

According to the lawsuit, Briohny Smyth, 44, was served Singapore Airlines’ signature chicken satay appetizer while seated in Business Class. The complaint alleges that the wooden skewer holding the satay contained a large splinter running through its length.

Smyth claims that while eating the meal as intended, she unknowingly swallowed a jagged piece of wood that broke away from the skewer and became lodged in her throat. The filing states that she immediately experienced severe throat pain, violent coughing, choking sensations, and significant distress as she attempted to remove the object during the nearly 15-hour flight.

The lawsuit alleges that she eventually expelled a wooden shard measuring approximately 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in length. Her attorneys argue that she was using the meal in the normal manner intended by the airline and therefore bore no responsibility for the incident.

Injury Allegedly Affected Singing Career

The lawsuit argues that the injury extended beyond the in-flight incident.

According to court filings, Smyth continued to suffer persistent throat discomfort, hoarseness, vocal fatigue, tightness, and pain while speaking or singing after returning home. She later consulted an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist), who reportedly identified scarring and trauma to her vocal cords that the complaint says were consistent with injury from a sharp foreign object.

The legal filing emphasizes that Smyth earns income as a professional singer, performer, public speaker, and wellness educator, making the condition of her voice central to her career.

Smyth first gained recognition after recording a platinum-selling album in Thailand as a teenager and later built an international following through yoga instruction and wellness education. One of her yoga videos has accumulated nearly 16 million YouTube views, according to the complaint.

Beyond medical expenses, the lawsuit seeks compensation for:

• Past and future medical treatment
• Loss of earnings and future earning capacity
• Professional damage
• Emotional distress
• Anxiety associated with eating and flying
• Legal costs and applicable interest

These allegations have not yet been proven in court, and Singapore Airlines had not publicly responded to the claims at the time the lawsuit became public.

Lawsuit Filed Under Montreal Convention

Rather than relying on state personal injury law alone, Smyth’s attorneys filed the case under Article 17 of the Montreal Convention, the international treaty governing airline liability for passenger injuries during international air travel. The treaty has been adopted by more than 135 countries, including Singapore and the United States.

Article 17 provides that an airline may be held liable when a passenger suffers bodily injury caused by an “accident” that occurs on board the aircraft or during the process of embarking or disembarking.

For claims covered under the Convention, airlines are strictly liable for proven damages up to 128,821 SDRs (approximately US$176,000). Above that threshold, carriers can avoid additional liability only if they demonstrate that the damage was not caused by their negligence, or that it resulted solely from the actions of a third party.

Singapore Airlines did not address the specific allegations, with a spokesperson telling The Independent that the airline is unable to comment while the lawsuit remains pending.

Other Airline Meal-Related Lawsuits

In 2025, Singapore Airlines (SQ) was sued by a New York physician, Dr. Doreen Benary, who alleged she suffered a severe allergic reaction after being served a shrimp-containing meal despite notifying the cabin crew of her shellfish allergy before departure. The incident occurred on a flight from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and forced the aircraft to divert to Paris, where Benary was taken to a hospital for treatment. The lawsuit contends that the airline failed to accommodate clearly communicated dietary restrictions.

Another food-related claim was brought against JetBlue Airways (B6) in 2024 by New Jersey resident Karla Quinonez. She alleged that an ice cream sandwich served during her flight was frozen so solid that it fractured one of her front teeth when she bit into it. According to her federal complaint, the injury required an emergency tooth extraction shortly after landing, followed by a dental implant and ongoing treatment. Quinonez argued that cabin crew should have warned passengers that the dessert was excessively hard before serving it.

Qatar Airways (QR) also became the subject of litigation after a North Carolina family alleged that a flight attendant served a chocolate bar containing dairy to their three-year-old daughter despite repeated warnings about her severe milk allergy. The lawsuit claims the child suffered an anaphylactic reaction onboard and that her condition continued to deteriorate after landing, resulting in a two-day stay in an intensive care unit. The family is seeking US$5 million in damages, alleging negligence in handling a known medical risk.