A New York man ate McDonald’s burger and discovered a piece of metal in his mouth.
Louis Spitalieri filed a complaint in state court on Wednesday, alleging that McDonald’s did not serve him a high-quality burger and did not meet the company’s standards.
Spitarlieri stopped at the chain on Staten Island and, while eating the defendant’s burger, “hair and metal got stuck in his mouth,” according to the complaint.
“The plaintiff was caused to swallow said metal object,” according to the court document. Spitalieri’s attorney alleged that McDonald’s Corporation and franchise owner Lisa’s Food Group were negligent in preparing hamburgers without non-edible products for public consumption.
The complaint cited the two entities as “incompetent” and “inadequate” for failing to train employees to properly prepare hamburgers without hair, wire, or other non-edible products.
Spitalierei’s complaint also claimed that McDonald’s failed “to notify and warn” customers about “the dangers of hair, metal, and other non-edible items” that could be found in their food.
The victim of the metal incident suffered “serious, harmful, and permanent injuries” from swallowing the metal in the burger, resulting in “pain, shock, and mental anguish.” According to the complaint, Spitarlieri was also forced to pay high medical bills as a result of the dangerous accident.
McDonald’s was sued last year for an error in serving a man a slice of cheese on a Big Mac, which sent him into anaphylactic shock. The man had an acute milk allergy, was on the verge of respiratory failure, and nearly died, according to his lawyer in court documents.
In October 2024, the fast food giant was linked to an E. coli outbreak after several customers became ill after eating the Quarter Pounder. The illness was found to be specifically linked to the onions on the sandwich. In total, 104 cases of E. coli were discovered across 14 states. Thirty-four people were hospitalized, and one died in Colorado.
The investigation into the outbreak has been completed, and the CDC has declared the outbreak over. The Quarter Pounder was temporarily removed from the menu, but it has since been reinstated.
