BANGKOK — Former Thai teen pop star Briohny Smyth has filed a lawsuit against Singapore Airlines, claiming she suffered vocal cord injuries after accidentally swallowing a sharp wooden fragment from a chicken satay skewer served during an in-flight meal.
According to a report by UK newspaper The Independent, Smyth, 44, alleged in a lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles federal court on July 24 that the wooden splinter broke off from a satay skewer while she was eating a meal on a Singapore Airlines flight to Los Angeles.
The fragment became lodged in her throat, causing “immediate pain,” violent coughing and choking sensations, according to court documents reviewed by The Independent.
Smyth, who was seated in business class, eventually expelled a jagged wooden shard measuring around 1.5 inches (about 3.8 centimetres) in length, the lawsuit stated.
The incident took place on July 28, 2024. Following the incident, Smyth said she experienced ongoing throat discomfort, vocal fatigue, hoarseness, tightness and pain when speaking or singing for extended periods.
She later consulted an ear, nose and throat specialist, who identified scarring and trauma to her vocal cords consistent with an injury caused by a sharp foreign object, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit claims Smyth was “consuming the meal as intended” and was not responsible for the injury.
Smyth rose to fame as a teenage singer in Thailand, releasing a platinum-selling album at the age of 13 during her music career in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She later stepped away from the entertainment industry and became a yoga instructor and wellness educator based in the United States.
The complaint describes her as a “professional singer, performer, wellness educator and public speaker,” arguing that her voice is essential to her career.
Smyth is seeking damages for bodily injury, loss of earning capacity, professional harm and emotional distress, including anxiety related to eating and flying, according to the lawsuit.
Singapore Airlines has not publicly commented on the lawsuit.