American Airlines passenger’s tattoo damaged after flight attendant spilled ‘scalding’ hot coffee on him: lawsuit

An American Airlines passenger was “scalded” by hot coffee during an Oct. 9 flight from Vietnam to New York — leaving him with “severe and permanent injuries” that caused damage to his tattoo, according to a lawsuit.

George Latorre, a Pennsylvania resident, filed suit against the Dallas-based carrier alleging that a flight attendant spilled piping hot coffee on his left arm, resulting in “second degree [burns] to his upper left arm; blistering; peeling, bleeding; possible permanent cosmetic deformity and scarring,” according to the complaint filed in Manhattan state court last Thursday.

An American Airlines spokesperson told The Post that the company does not comment on pending litigation.

The Post has reached out to Latorre’s attorney.

Latorre was sitting in seat 33J next to his son on the flight when a flight attendant began serving him coffee.

According to the complaint, the flight attendant was allegedly “careless, reckless, and negligent in serving scalding coffee to the plaintiff in an unsafe manner.”

The lawsuit faults the airline for allegedly “failing to hire and retain competent personnel and employees.”

Latorre claimed in the complaint that the injuries have caused him “extreme pain and suffering” as well as “emotional harm, mental anguish and distress.”

He has also experienced “loss of sleep” as a result of the pain, which will necessitate further medical treatment, according to the lawsuit.

Latorre tried to buy a business class seat from the airline after being “burned” by the coffee, but was refused, the complaint alleged.

After landing, Latorre sought medical attention for his injuries. He was then told by a doctor that the damage was “serious enough” to consult with a surgeon.

The incident harkens back to the 1994 multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by a 79-year-old woman, Stella Liebeck, who suffered third-degree burns after accidentally spilling coffee in her lap after buying it from a local McDonald’s restaurant.

A jury awarded Liebeck around $3 million in damages, but a judge later reduced the amount.

The two sides eventually came to agreement on an undisclosed settlement.

Earlier this year, Mable Childress, 85, filed suit against McDonald’s after allegedly suffering burns to her stomach, groin, and leg area due to spilled coffee that she ordered from the fast food chain.

A Florida jury awarded an 8-year-old girl $800,000 in damages this past summer after the child suffered second-degree burns from a McDonald’s chicken nugget four years ago.