While traveling on JetBlue Flight 1825 from New York City to Lima, Peru, Arturas Lanchinskas—a third-degree black belt and head coach of Team USA Judo—was struck in the face by a pot of scalding coffee spilled by a flight attendant.
It’s not the first incident to lead to a lawsuit over a hot cup of coffee—nor is it likely to be the last.
Who is Arturas Lanchinskas?
Arturas Lanchinskas is a prominent American judo coach and third-degree black belt. He is the owner and head coach at Darfight Martial Arts in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach neighborhood, a school he founded in 2017 to foster physical fitness, confidence, and discipline in both children and adults.
Under his leadership, Darfight has earned national recognition and is ranked among the top judo facilities in the country. Lanchinskas’s coaching style emphasizes personal development, with curriculum offerings that include judo, Brazilian jiu‑jitsu, MMA, and youth programs designed to build leadership qualities and self-esteem.
At age 30, Lanchinskas took on the role of head coach for Team USA Judo, leading the national team at the Pan American Judo Championships in Lima in July 2023.
What happened on JetBlue Flight 1825?
The trouble began somewhere over South America. Lanchinskas was seated aboard JetBlue Flight 1825, en route to Lima to coach Team USA at the Pan American Judo Championships, when a flight attendant accidentally spilled a pot of scalding coffee. The hot liquid splashed across his face and into his right eye.
“It felt like a surge of fire hit the surface of my eyeball,” Lanchinskas said. “The pain was sharp and immediate, like a burning needle.”
Fortunately, a medical professional happened to be sitting next to Lanchinskas. Recognizing the seriousness of the injury, he urged Lanchinskas to rinse his eye repeatedly with water. Lanchinskas did just that, making frequent trips to the lavatory in an attempt to flush out the burning liquid.
But according to the lawsuit, some members of the cabin crew grew irritated by his repeated use of the restroom, allegedly telling him that other passengers needed access.
When the plane landed in Lima, Lanchinskas sought treatment.
After returning to New York, he consulted specialists who diagnosed him with a thermal burn to his right eye. The prognosis was grim: a permanently reduced field of vision and heightened sensitivity to light.
The lawsuit filed in New York
Almost two years after the incident, Arturas Lanchinskas filed a personal injury lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
The lawsuit alleges that JetBlue’s negligence caused him permanent harm. More specifically, the complaint argues that JetBlue failed to uphold its responsibility to ensure passenger safety while delivering beverages. It also emphasizes the long-term impact of the injury, both physically and professionally, on a coach whose livelihood depends on clear vision.
The case, filed under number 1:25-cv-03779, centers on the Montreal Convention—an international treaty that governs airline liability for injuries sustained during international flights.
The Convention establishes a system of strict liability, meaning airlines are automatically responsible for passenger injuries, death, or damage to baggage and cargo up to a certain limit (currently around $175,000 USD), regardless of fault. To recover damages beyond that amount, however, the injured party must prove the airline was negligent or acted recklessly.
Similar incidents involving hot coffee
This isn’t the first lawsuit involving a cup of hot coffee—and it’s far from the most famous. Many will recall the landmark case Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants, in which a woman suffered third-degree burns after spilling dangerously hot McDonald’s coffee on her lap. That case became a flashpoint in conversations about corporate responsibility and led to a jury awarding substantial punitive damages after finding the company acted recklessly.
While the circumstances differ, Lanchinskas’s case raises similar concerns about how hot beverages are handled and served. His legal team argues that airlines, like restaurants, must take proactive steps to prevent foreseeable injuries—and that failing to properly train flight attendants can result in serious, life-altering harm.