With the rise of entitlement and the emergence of the infamous “Karen,” people seem to get angry far more easily and have their lawyers on speed dial for the slightest perceived inconvenience. The customers on this list had complaints; they wanted to be heard, and they made sure they were.
Spork
Popeye’s has amazing chicken, but you know what else it has? A lawsuit about a spork. About nine years ago, a man in Mississippi was upset that he wanted a spork and was given a knife. He had to get emergency surgery to get the chicken out of his throat, which was unfortunate.
Artichoke
A doctor in Florida is suing a Houston restaurant chain for not telling him the proper way to eat an artichoke. He had to have an exploratory laparotomy after eating the entire thing, including the leaves, and they found said leaves lodged in his small bowels. He’s suing for an unspecified amount and claiming bodily injury, disability, disfigurement, aggravation of pre-existing conditions, medical and nursing care and treatment, resulting pain and suffering, and mental anguish. He claims this is all because the restaurant should have told him how to eat it, but didn’t.
Gluten-Free
A woman decided to sue P.F. Chang’s over what she claimed was a case of discrimination. She didn’t like that the restaurant charges $1 more for gluten-free items and said that the surcharge was discriminatory against the people who can’t eat gluten. She also said it violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Ladies Night
Everyone loves going out and having fun, but ladies’ night isn’t typically what a restaurant gets sued for. In Brea, California, a Latin American kitchen restaurant was sued for sexual discrimination. The man claimed that they wouldn’t give him the ladies’ night special. However, the owner pointed out that they offered the same deal twice, and he turned it down. The man lost the case after a four-day trial for a false claim. They learned the man in question had filed over 40 gender discrimination suits over the years.
Happy Meals
A father sued McDonald’s because Happy Meals were marketed to children. The man claimed that the reason kids beg for a Happy Meal is that the toys on the sign and the advertisements are all at a child’s eye level, so they’ll naturally beg for a meal, and he’d feel obligated to buy. In Canada, there are laws against advertising to children under 13, with exceptions that the restaurant claimed it was. The judge declared the suit was valid, but no ruling has been reached.
$.20
Believe it or not, a woman decided to sue Burger King over $0.20. The Burger King nearest her charged $0.89 for a large Coke. However, if she went slightly further, it was twenty cents cheaper. She tried suing for $100 for the extra distance. The restaurant won the suit and didn’t bother showing up to court.
Napkins
McDonald’s makes the list again because a man claimed that only receiving one napkin with his meal caused emotional distress and left him unable to work. According to NBC Los Angeles, the man had previously attempted to file a lawsuit against other restaurants, and he’s now listed on the California Vexatious Litigant List.
Beck’s Beer
Over a decade ago, several beer drinkers filed a class-action lawsuit against Anheuser-Busch, claiming that the deceptive packaging made them believe the beer was manufactured in Germany. They wanted $5 million. Although the production was relocated to the US in 2012, the “Made in USA” label was almost invisible. The court ruled in the plaintiffs’ favor and offered those with receipts the option to file a claim for up to $50 per household, or $12 without a receipt.
Chicken Nuggets
Again, McDonald’s makes our list—this time for chicken nuggets. There was an incident in Palm Beach where a man bit into a nugget, hit something hard, and experienced pain. It turned out that there was a bone, almost an inch long, inside one nugget. When he sought treatment for his tooth, he had two micro-cracks. He immediately sued for $1.1 million. The company is investigating the claim, but it has been revealed that the bone is one of the shapes of the nuggets.
No Ice
Another lawsuit targeted Starbucks because the customer claimed that ice was making up most of their drink, and the company wasn’t giving enough coffee. The judge ultimately sided with Starbucks and dismissed the case. Afterward, the company came out and said that they’d happily remake anyone’s drink if they didn’t like the ice-to-coffee ratio.
$17
At a Burger King, a couple was double-charged for a meal and demanded a refund. Perfectly understandable as they deserved one. Unfortunately for the company, it never came through, and the couple took them to small claims court, where they received their refund and also had their court fees covered.
Texting
One man in Beverly Hills is suing Papa John’s because they texted him too many offers. He texted “STOP” to the robo system, and they continued, so it’s believed to be a violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. He claimed the texts caused anxiety, annoyance, and frustration. He’s asking $500 per text, and the case hasn’t been resolved yet.
One Inch
This was one of the longest lawsuits. An Australian man posted a picture of Subway’s footlong sandwiches next to a ruler. The sandwich in question was an inch short of being perfect. This led to court, and the case was settled in a 10-person class-action lawsuit. Each person received their legal fees paid and an additional $500. Subway attempted to take the case to an appeals court, claiming that they had promised to fix the problem.
Whoppers
Burger King found itself being sued over their famous Whoppers. The claim was that the Whoppers shrank and weren’t as fulfilling as they’d been in the past. A federal judge in Florida refused to dismiss the case, and other restaurants have been sued for the same reason over the years.
Taco Bell
Tacos are great, and people know that if you have a late-night craving, Taco Bell’s tacos will hit the spot. It was these tacos, though, that sparked controversy. The claim was that the taco meat was not at the expected level of quality. They said that there was about 30% less meat in the tacos than advertised.
Shocked?
Did any of these shock you? It can be challenging to understand the motivations behind people’s actions. Still, these lawsuits reveal that some individuals sue over trivial matters, or they’re entitled even when a company offers to help and tries to please them. We wonder who will be facing down next.
