A woman in a southwestern suburb of Chicago is suing McDonald’s Corp., claiming that she sustained permanent oral injuries when chewing a Spicy McChicken Sandwich that contained a piece of glass.
According to local reports, Vjollca Lecaj filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging that on Aug. 5, 2010, she injured herself by biting into a piece of glass in her sandwich while dining at a McDonald’s at 105th Street in Oak Lawn, Ill. She accuses the restaurant of not inspecting and maintaining cooking equipment or the sandwich properly to prevent the injury.
Lecaj reportedly is seeking $600,000 in damages and names the Oak Lawn restaurant, McDonald’s Corp., McDonald’s USA LLC and JDD Investment Co. in the suit.
“While I am aware of this matter, I have not been served with the lawsuit,” franchisee John Dakajos said in a statement released by McDonald’s USA. “Rest assured, I take matters regarding food safety extremely seriously and investigate all claims to gather the facts. I caution anyone from jumping to conclusions. These are just allegations.
“Beyond that, it would be inappropriate to further comment or speculate on a pending legal matter.”
McDonald’s operates or franchises more than 14,000 restaurants in the United States.
Contact Mark Brandau at [email protected].