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JetBlue is back in the news again, and as usual, it’s not for something good. A couple has filed a $1 million lawsuit against JetBlue, claiming a block of ice fell off of one of their planes and crashed through the roof of their home.
According to the lawsuit filed in Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, Michael Reese and Leah Ferrarini allege that a watermelon-sized chuck on ice dropped from a JetBlue Airbus A321 caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to their “dream home.” They have since been forced to move out of the house they bought in 2020 and renovated with the intention of living there for many years.
“In the evening of January 1, 2024 at or about 8:09 p.m., Plaintiffs Michael Reese and Leah Ferrarini were peacefully in their home located at 2601 W. 102nd Street, Inglewood, California 90303 when a large block of ice crashed through the roof of their home directly over their bed barely escaping devastating physical injury,” the lawsuit reads.
An investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) “found that a review of the maintenance and engineering system records for the aircraft revealed that the aircraft had a history of potable water issues and was suspected of dropping ice on another property in Massachusetts on Aug. 13, 2023.”
The couple is suing not just for the damages the ice off the JetBlue plane caused to their home, they are also seeking damages for “severe emotional distress from the terrifying event resulting in loss of sleep, loss of earnings and no longer feeling safe in their own home with the constant fear that they may be struck again by falling debris from an aircraft.”
“The ice block falling on Plaintiffs’ house caused severe damage to Plaintiffs’ roof and Plaintiffs were put in direct and reasonable fear for their own safety as the ice landed directly above their pillows in their bedroom,” the lawsuit added. “Further, the incident has had a lasting and profound effect on Plaintiffs causing severe emotional distress and necessitating treatment. Immediately following the incident with the falling ice, Plaintiffs would cringe in fear with each plane that passed over their home which is approximately one every five minutes.
“Plaintiffs can no longer sleep comfortably in their beds without thinking of the incident that occurred and as a result suffer from insomnia. The insomnia has forced Plaintiff Mike Reese to turn down work as a commercial driver in the TV and Film Industry. The incident has overall made them anxious and depressed, feeling unsafe in what was their dream home.”
Naturally, JetBlue said in a statement that “safety is our number one priority and guides everything we do.” Explain that to the two people who were discovered dead in one of their plane’s landing gear during “routine post-flight maintenance inspection” earlier this month.