Couple Sues Over Meal That 'Disfigured' Daughter, 6, On Newark Flight

NEWARK, NJ — An Israeli couple is suing United Airlines over claims that their 6-year-old daughter was "disfigured" by severe burns after an "unreasonably" hot meal slid off a defective tray table onboard a 2022 flight to Newark.

The little girl's mother, Michal Fefferman, claims that a flight attendant handed her a tray containing a hot meal for her daughter, after which she placed it onto a tray table and it slid off and landed in her daughter's lap, according to court documents obtained by Patch.

"Although the meal tray should have provided a level surface so that food and/or drinks like the meal tray at issue could be placed on them safely, this particular tray table was defective, slanting downward toward the seat where [the girl] sat," the complaint reads.

Documents further state that the girl "suffered in extreme discomfort" for the remainder of the 12-hour flight as there were not adequate medical supplies for the treatment of burns on the plane.

In the more than a year and a half since she was burned, the girl has suffered lasting effects ranging from scarring and discoloration to neurological deficits, mental anguish, humiliation, and "the loss of ability to enjoy her life," according to documents.

The Feffermans are suing United Airlines for $75,000 in damages, claiming that the airline "owed a duty to passengers ... to exercise reasonable care in the operation of the flight, including the provision of the food to passengers, access to safe and/or sturdy tray tables, maintenance of tray tables, access to medical devices and/or care for reasonably foreseeable harms, and/or to warn passengers of defective equipment such as tray tables."

They requested a jury trial, alleging negligence and liability under the Montreal Convention, which establishes airline responsibility in the case of death or injury to passengers.

United Airlines told Patch they can't comment on pending litigation.