Woman sues airline for $850,000, claims flight attendant dumped 'scalding' coffee on her

A Virginia woman has sued Qatar Airways, claiming a flight attendant slopped "scalding hot" coffee on her lap, causing serious burns, according to the suit.

Zahra Azizkhani, 72, is seeking $850,000 in damages.

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She said she was flying from Virginia to Iran last year to visit the country for the first time in years.

Her alleged ordeal began mid-flight, when she said a steward serving coffee dropped the hot liquid on the passenger's stomach, causing serious and painful burns, according to the suit.

The attendant, the woman claims, did nothing to help her. The burns were so severe that she was unable to wear fabric over them, restricting her travels in Iran because of the country's strict laws about women's clothing.

In court filings, the airline denied the incident took place.

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The spill also damaged the woman's passport, causing it to discolor, the suit contends.

That resulted in Azizkhani being detained for more than two hours at Tehran's international airport while immigration officials interrogated her, the lawsuit claims.

She said she was eventually allowed to leave after authorities determined her identification was legitimate.

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