Swimmer ordered to pay Emirates bill

A Sydney woman who sued Emirates for damages over a hot spilt drink has been ordered to pay the airline's legal costs.

Michelle Leanne Dibbs filed a suit in the NSW Supreme Court after a cup of hot tea was spilled on her during the first leg of a flight to Malta, via Dubai, in 2012.

Dibbs, who has competed nationally as a synchronised swimmer, claimed that the spill caused her to "jump up and twist sharply" and that she sustained a severe injury to her back, for which she underwent surgery on arrival in Malta.

But the court found against her following a hearing in September this year and on Tuesday ordered that she pay Emirates' costs.

The order includes a requirement that Dibbs cover the airline's legal bills on an indemnity basis from October 17, 2014 onwards.

The court heard Emirates had made a $75,000 offer of compromise on October 16, 2014, which was not taken up by Dibbs.