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# Insurer sues Alaska Airlines over paintings soaked in Honolulu rainstorm
- URL: https://www.urgentmatter.press/insurer-sues-alaska-airlines-over-paintings-soaked-in-honolulu-rainstorm/
- Published: 2026-09-08T03:52:30.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-08T03:52:30.000Z
- Description: Distinguished Programs says the 11 works, shipped from Osaka to New York, were deplaned unprotected and ruined.
- Author: Adam Schrader
- Tags: Law and Crime, #public-access

An insurer is suing Alaska Airlines, its subsidiary Hawaiian Airlines and a New York freight forwarder over 11 paintings it says were soaked and ruined after the airline unloaded them during a rainstorm in Honolulu.

Distinguished Programs Insurance Brokerage filed the complaint September 3 in New York County Supreme Court, seeking more than $521,900.

The works were traveling from Osaka, Japan, to John F. Kennedy International Airport under a March 9 shipping contract, according to the lawsuit. The plane stopped in Honolulu on the way.

There, the airline unloaded the shipment in bad weather without protecting it, the lawsuit alleged.

“Alaska deplaned the Artworks during a heavy rainstorm and made no effort to protect the Artworks from water damage,” the lawsuit said. “As a result, the Artworks were soaked and sustained significant damage.”

***Paid subscribers can*** [***read the full lawsuit***](https://www.urgentmatter.press/court-documents-distinguished-v-alaska-airlines/)***.***

[Documents: Insurer’s complaint over paintings soaked on flightThe summons and complaint Distinguished Programs Insurance Brokerage filed September 3 in New York County Supreme Court.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3c/26/3c26cf7a-2384-4a8d-82e1-f44702177698/content/images/icon/urgent-matter-icon-de48abab-64fe-4de3-a796-7a94a760b3c4.jpg)Urgent MatterAdam Schrader![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3c/26/3c26cf7a-2384-4a8d-82e1-f44702177698/content/images/thumbnail/urgent-matter-icon-2-687f2692-6153-4948-a001-5284370b2898.jpg)](https://www.urgentmatter.press/court-documents-distinguished-v-alaska-airlines/)

The 11 works, described in shipping records only as “ARTWORK-ORIGINAL PAINTING ON PAPER,” were packed in cardboard crates. They belonged to Naga Antiques, Ltd., the complaint says — a Hudson gallery that has dealt in Japanese screens and fine Asian art since 1971.

Distinguished Programs, a Manhattan-based insurance program manager running a fine-art and collectibles program for dealers, galleries and museums, insured the shipment. It paid Naga’s claim and is now trying to recover that money from the companies it blames.

The lawsuit accused Alaska and Hawaiian of “gross neglect, reckless disregard, and or with willful misconduct” for taking no steps to keep the works dry as they came off the plane. The airline and its employees “knew that such conduct would result in significant damage to the Artworks,” it said.

Hawaiian Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. Alaska completed its $1.9 billion purchase of Hawaiian in September 2024, and the two carriers moved onto a [single federal operating certificate](https://news.alaskaair.com/company/alaska-airlines-and-hawaiian-airlines-reach-major-integration-milestone-a-single-operating-certificate/?ref=urgentmatter.press) in October 2025 while keeping separate brands.

The complaint names both carriers together, though its account of the unloading points to Alaska.

The third defendant, Compass Forwarding Co. of Jamaica, Queens, arranged the shipment as Naga’s agent and contracted with Alaska to carry it, the lawsuit said. Distinguished accuses Compass of breaching its contract and “failing to make precautions to protect the Artworks from severe water damage during transport.”

Distinguished wants more than $521,900 from all three companies, plus interest from March 18, the date the complaint gives for the damage, along with costs and attorney’s fees.

International air shipments like this one are governed by the Montreal Convention, a treaty that caps an airline’s liability for damaged cargo at about $34 a kilogram unless the shipper declares a higher value and pays an added fee. The complaint does not mention the treaty, the shipment’s weight or any declared value.

Last week, Air Canada and Brink’s settled a [$20 million gold-heist lawsuit](https://money.ca/news/air-canada-brinks-gold-heist-airline-liability-caps?ref=urgentmatter.press) in the Federal Court of Canada where the airline’s liability was capped at about $18,000 under the Montreal Convention.

The complaint also does not identify the artists, titles or subjects of the 11 works or explain how the $521,900 figure was reached.

Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Compass Forwarding have not yet filed responses to the complaint.

*Follow this and other art-world legal disputes at Urgent Matter’s* [*lawsuit tracker*](https://urgentmatter.press/tracking-art-lawsuits-legal-disputes-urgent-matter-database?ref=urgentmatter.press)*.*