UNITED STATES: Former child pop star sues Singapore Airlines after chicken skewer allegedly damaged her vocal cords
A former child pop star has filed a lawsuit against Singapore Airlines, claiming a chicken skewer served on a flight caused injuries that permanently damaged her vocal cords and impacted her singing career.
Briohny Smyth, 44 — now a singer turned yoga instructor who had a platinum album in Thailand at age 13 — says the wood shard caused “immediate pain,” “violent coughing,” and choking sensations, according to a federal lawsuit filed in Los Angeles.
The July 24 complaint states Smyth suffered “substantial pain and emotional distress while attempting to expel the foreign object during the flight to Los Angeles.”
She said she “ultimately expelled a jagged wooden shard approximately 1.5 inches in length.”
Since the July 28, 2024 incident, Smyth says she has dealt with “persistent throat discomfort, vocal fatigue, raspiness, tightness and pain with prolonged speaking or singing.”
An otolaryngologist reportedly found “scarring and trauma” to her vocal cords consistent with an injury from a sharp foreign object.
The suit describes her as a “professional singer, performer, wellness educator and public speaker,” whose livelihood “substantially depends upon the integrity and performance of her voice.”
It also cites loss of earning capacity, professional harm, and “anxiety associated with eating and flying.”
Smyth is seeking damages for past and future medical expenses, lost earnings and earning capacity, emotional distress, and legal costs.