Woman Sues Restaurant Chain After Finding Severed Finger In Salad

A woman from Greenwich, Connecticut, named Allison Cozzi, has lodged a complaint against a salad restaurant, claiming that she bit into her meal only to discover she was chewing on a piece of a finger.

Instagram/ @choptsalad

Allison Cozzi filed a lawsuit on Monday, November 27, against the salad restaurant chain Chopt, which boasts over 70 locations across the United States.

I apologize in advance if you're currently eating. You might want to avert your eyes. However, if you were seeking a reason to swear off salads for life, then feel free to read on.

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According to the lawsuit, Cozzi purchased a salad from a Mount Kisco, New York branch of the restaurant on April 7.

To her horror, while halfway through consuming the salad, she discovered that she was 'chewing on a portion of a human finger.'

The lawsuit further claims that the finger had been 'mixed into, and made a part of, the salad.' However, the identity of the person to whom the finger belonged remains unspecified.

The lawsuit asserts that the restaurant's manager is the individual with a partially missing digit, and this accidental severing purportedly occurred during the manager's arugula chopping duties. 

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Subsequently, the manager sought medical attention, and the contaminated arugula, allegedly featuring the misplaced finger, was then served to unsuspecting customers.

The exact number of customers who may have been impacted by the tainted arugula remains unclear. 

News12 reports that the Westchester County Health Department conducted an investigation into the incident and issued a ticket to the Chopt branch for violating state regulations aimed at preventing health hazards, imposing a $900 fine. 

Mark Vergari/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK

According to NBC News, the restaurant opted not to contest the fine and promptly paid it.

Nevertheless, Cozzi is currently seeking damages, asserting that she has suffered a multitude of 'serious personal injuries' due to inadvertently consuming the finger part in her salad.

The plaintiff contends that she has endured neck and shoulder pain, coupled with symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, migraines, cognitive impairment, panic attacks, and shock, all stemming from the incident.

The specific amount Cozzi is seeking in damages has not been disclosed, and according to her lawyer Marc Reibman, she will not be providing further statements on the matter beyond what has already been addressed.

He told PEOPLE: "She does not want to increase the stress and anxiety that this incident has caused her."

"As required by New York Law, her Complaint does not contain the dollar amount of the monetary damages that she is seeking."

"As a matter of common sense and public interest, the failure to supervise the preparation and service of food in a manner that protects the public is a blatant deviation from accepted safe practice and deserves significant compensation."