An Inglewood couple is suing JetBlue after a flight inbound to LAX dropped a watermelon-sized block of ice that crashed through their ceiling into their bedroom, according to a new lawsuit.
A Federal Aviation Administration investigation showed that JetBlue should have known about the problem that caused the incident, which occurred a little over a year ago, the lawsuit asserts. It says the same plane was suspected of dropping a block of ice on a home in Massachusetts months earlier.
Michael Reese and Leah Ferrarini — “barely escaping devastating physical injury” at their Inglewood home on Jan. 1, 2024 — had an ice block crash through their roof and land just above their pillows, the lawsuit states. Now, because of their home’s proximity to Los Angeles International Airport and with a plane flying overhead “every five minutes,” the couple feel the need to move from what they call their dream home given the fear and insomnia that have disrupted their lives, the complaint says. The couple are seeking $1 million in damages, according to later court documents submitted by JetBlue.
The FAA reported that the plane had been inspected for issues with a potable-water drain and valve in February 2023, a month after the Inglewood incident, and a valve was found to have been faulty, causing a leak, the complaint says. But the plane should have been investigated for issues when they were first reported in July 2023 — a month before it dropped ice on another home, damaging a roof in Shirley, Mass., the lawsuit says. “We heard an explosion, basically,” the homeowner told CBS News after the August 2023 incident, saying he thought the house was struck by lightning. “The loudest pop, bang I’ve ever heard.”
“JETBLUE had been on notice for months prior to January 1, 2024, yet failed to conduct an investigation as to the problems with the potable water system value and drain. Had JETBLUE done so after being on notice that there was a problem as early as July 2023, the discharge of the large block of ice on Plaintiff’s home would not have occurred,” the lawsuit, filed in October, states.
In its response to the complaint, JetBlue denied all of Reese and Ferrarini’s claims and said it had followed all governmental regulations and industry standards. This month, the airline argued the case should move to federal court rather than Los Angeles Superior Court, as its headquarters are in New York.
Christopher Kanne, Reese and Ferrarini’s lawyer, and JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Times on Thursday afternoon.
