Wow!...Yet another fingertip found in restaurant food.

C-Mac · 07-04-2005, 05:01 PM

Attorney for Louisiana woman who found fingertip in salad says apology proves lax supervision.
July 4, 2005: 1:07 PM EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The lawyer for a Louisiana woman who said she found a severed fingertip in her salad said Monday that an apology from restaurant chain Applebee's International Inc. didn't "totally compensate" his client.

Restaurant chain Applebee's (Research) said a worker accidentally cut the "very tip of his thumb" last year, an incident it says may have triggered a lawsuit from a Louisiana woman who said she found a severed fingertip in her salad. Applebee's described the event as an "isolated incident" in a statement released on Saturday.

The company apologized to May Deal Chambers Johnson, who filed the lawsuit last week.

Johnson's lawyer, Michael Darnell of New Orleans, told Reuters on Monday: "We appreciate the fact that Applebee's has made an apology, but that doesn't totally compensate my client (May Johnson) for the revolting experience she had and the trauma she has sustained because of the incident.

"Additionally, the statement by Applebee's seems to make a case for a lax supervision by the franchiser of this particular franchisee, in that according to Applebee's they apparently didn't discover that incident for at last a year later."

While Applebee's had said some facts are still unclear, it believes a former employee at one of its Louisiana franchise restaurants had cut off part of his thumb. According to the worker, the cut was roughly the size of a sunflower seed, Applebee's said.

"We believe this was the incident that may have led to the claim by Ms. Johnson," Applebee's said previously.

The company, based in Overland Park, Kan., said it immediately launched an investigation after it learned about the lawsuit last Monday. Several members of its senior management team traveled to Louisiana to look into the matter.

This was the second incident in the United States this year involving a severed finger found in food bought at a national restaurant chain.

A California woman drew national attention in March when she said she found a finger in a bowl of chili from a Wendy's International Inc (Research). restaurant in San Jose, Calif.

The case was later found to be a hoax and the woman was jailed on grand theft charges, but not before Wendy's suffered a steep drop in sales.

In the Louisiana case, Johnson said she suffered physical and psychological harm when she discovered the object in a take-out salad from an Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar in the New Orleans suburb of Jefferson in June 2004.

Her lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, accuses the restaurant of unsanitary food preparation and improper training of employees, as well as "failure to prevent the inclusion of a human fingertip in a salad to go."

07-04-2005, 05:01 PM	Topic Starter
C-Mac Lurker Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Wally World Casino cash: $-1136301	Wow!...Yet another fingertip found in restaurant food. Attorney for Louisiana woman who found fingertip in salad says apology proves lax supervision. July 4, 2005: 1:07 PM EDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - The lawyer for a Louisiana woman who said she found a severed fingertip in her salad said Monday that an apology from restaurant chain Applebee's International Inc. didn't "totally compensate" his client. Restaurant chain Applebee's (Research) said a worker accidentally cut the "very tip of his thumb" last year, an incident it says may have triggered a lawsuit from a Louisiana woman who said she found a severed fingertip in her salad. Applebee's described the event as an "isolated incident" in a statement released on Saturday. The company apologized to May Deal Chambers Johnson, who filed the lawsuit last week. Johnson's lawyer, Michael Darnell of New Orleans, told Reuters on Monday: "We appreciate the fact that Applebee's has made an apology, but that doesn't totally compensate my client (May Johnson) for the revolting experience she had and the trauma she has sustained because of the incident. "Additionally, the statement by Applebee's seems to make a case for a lax supervision by the franchiser of this particular franchisee, in that according to Applebee's they apparently didn't discover that incident for at last a year later." While Applebee's had said some facts are still unclear, it believes a former employee at one of its Louisiana franchise restaurants had cut off part of his thumb. According to the worker, the cut was roughly the size of a sunflower seed, Applebee's said. "We believe this was the incident that may have led to the claim by Ms. Johnson," Applebee's said previously. The company, based in Overland Park, Kan., said it immediately launched an investigation after it learned about the lawsuit last Monday. Several members of its senior management team traveled to Louisiana to look into the matter. This was the second incident in the United States this year involving a severed finger found in food bought at a national restaurant chain. A California woman drew national attention in March when she said she found a finger in a bowl of chili from a Wendy's International Inc (Research). restaurant in San Jose, Calif. The case was later found to be a hoax and the woman was jailed on grand theft charges, but not before Wendy's suffered a steep drop in sales. In the Louisiana case, Johnson said she suffered physical and psychological harm when she discovered the object in a take-out salad from an Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar in the New Orleans suburb of Jefferson in June 2004. Her lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, accuses the restaurant of unsanitary food preparation and improper training of employees, as well as "failure to prevent the inclusion of a human fingertip in a salad to go."
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