A Connecticut woman is suing a national salad chain after she discovered that she was "chewing on a portion of a human finger" mixed in with her greens.
According to a lawsuit filed in a New York court, Allison Cozzi of Greenwich, Connecticut, came upon the horrifying discovery in April when she purchased a salad from a Chopt Creative Salad Co. location in Westchester County.
"[W]hile she was eating the salad, she realized that she was chewing on a portion of a human finger that had been mixed in to, and made a part of, the salad," the lawsuit says.
According to the court filing, an employee working at the aforementioned restaurant earlier in the day "was chopping arugula and chopped off, or cut off, a portion of her left pointer finger."
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The employee, who was also a manager at the restaurant, left the restaurant and went to the hospital.
"The contaminated arugula was left on the service line and served to customers, including plaintiff herein," the document says.
The complaint alleges that Cozzi, as a result of the "negligence" exhibited by Chopt, was "caused to sustain severe and serious personal injuries including: shock; panic attacks; migraine and the exacerbation of migraine; cognitive impairment; traumatic stress and anxiety, nausea, vomiting, dizziness; and neck and shoulder pain."
A local news outlet reports that an investigation number identified in the lawsuit corresponds with a case that was opened by the Westchester County Department of Health against the Mount Kisco, New York, Chopt location. Data published by the department shows that the case resulted in a $900 civil penalty.
The complaint notes that Chopt did not contest or appeal in any way the finding of its violation of the provisions of the New York Code of Rules and Regulations and paid the fine.
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Cozzi is seeking unspecified monetary damages from the company. Her attorney, Marc Reiban, declined to comment further, saying his client did not wish to comment to the media.
