Ella Scott
A New York resident is suing a local Mediterranean eatery after allegedly finding a human body part in her meal - an accusation the restaurant owner has branded as ‘slander’.
The lawsuit in question, first obtained by People Magazine, was filed in the New York County Supreme Court on August 7.
It claimed Corcoran realtor Mary Elizabeth Smith was left ‘permanently traumatized’ after biting into food containing a human finger.
The 43-year-old, who lives in Chelsea, alleged she ordered a chicken wrap ‘to go’ from Create in Astoria, Queens, where she ate at least twice a week, as per the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit.
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But when she bit into the takeaway meal, she discovered ‘human tissue, a fingertip’, according to Smith’s attorney, Robert Menna.
“Luckily, she didn't swallow it. But it still traumatized her,” he said in a statement to People.
Create’s owner, Teddy Karagiannis, has strongly denied the allegations.
The filed complaint also stated that the ‘negligence’ on the part of the restaurant caused Smith to ‘sustain serious injuries and suffer pain, shock and mental anguish.’
She’s since been undergoing intense antiretroviral therapy (ART) to fend off diseases the fingertip may have exposed her to.
The local also attended a medical appointment where she allegedly offered to pay doctors ‘$75’ to tell her it was ‘anything’ other than a fingertip.
Karagiannis has issued a series of statements defending his business to People and the New York Post.
He told the former that the filed lawsuit brought against the restaurant was ‘completely fraudulent’ and ‘ludicrous’.
Karagiannis, who explained he plans to countersue Smith for ‘slander’, said that all food served at the eatery, including the chicken wrap, goes through multiple inspection points before being served.
“It’s impossible. It cannot happen in my style of operation,” he told the publication.
In a statement issued to the Post, the business owner took issue with Menna’s admission that lab results confirmed the human tissue was of female origin.
“I never have female employees working the prep line,” he claimed.
Smith, however, alleges that she saw a woman working at Create on the day she bought the food item.
The Create owner also claimed Smith has declined ‘DNA testing’ on the fingertip, which he believed would ‘prove’ it didn’t come from one of his employees.
He also speculated that the plaintiff could’ve picked the finger up off the street.
When asked about the fingertip’s possible origin, Smith told the Post: “I really wish it hadn’t happened.”
Menna said the ordeal has been ‘horrifying’ for his client to experience.
He also claimed that Create’s insurance company, Liberty Mutual, has refuted the allegations.
This is despite him reportedly presenting photographs of the fingertip as well as the forensic report.
“So we will let the court take care of it,” he said to People.
Meanwhile, the alleged New York victim complained that the alleged incident has ‘left [her] very cautious about anything that [she is] eating.
“It took me a really long time to work up the courage to eat chicken again. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen.”
UNILAD has reached out to Create and Liberty Mutual for further comment.