I-90 Burger King Sued -
Employees Urinated On Food
By Gary Craig
Staff writer
11-11-3
Recently filed legal papers claim that about 19 workers were fired in the
aftermath of employee contamination of food at a New York state Thruway
Burger King in Scottsville ÷ incidents that even included urination on food
products. The lawsuit, reiterating charges that first surfaced in a criminal
case against three Burger King employees, alleges that restaurant workers
may have been
tampering with food for eight months before the contamination came to light.
About 19 people "were terminated when the reprehensible and criminal conduct
occurring at the defendant's Burger King restaurant was finally reported by
an employee who could no longer sleep at night after learning that the food
contamination had escalated from spitting to urination, all the way up
to placing lethal poison on food products," allege the court papers, filed
on behalf of a Monroe County sheriff's deputy who maintains he suffered
severe gastrointestinal injuries after eating a contaminated burger.
The allegations are based on depositions of individuals familiar with the
contamination, claim the recently filed court papers. One Burger King
employee was convicted in 2001 of food tampering by spraying degreaser on a
Whopper pattie. Another employee pleaded guilty to food tampering and a
third was acquitted. In 2001, Monroe County Sheriffâs Deputy Gamaliel
Dominguez and his wife,
Clara, sued Burger King and HMS Host Corp., which manages restaurants at
Thruway service areas. The couple sued for $15.5 million in state Supreme
Court. Court papers show that the two sides continue to scrap over what
evidence
should be provided to lawyers and whether tests are needed to determine the
validity of the allegations that Dominguez is ill. No trial date has been
set.
Jane Kuppermann, a Syracuse lawyer representing Burger King and HMS, said
that she could not comment on the lawsuit. She has maintained in court
papers that lawyers for the Dominguez couple have engaged in a legal fishing
expedition, seeking transcripts of advertisements
about Thruway restaurants. The lawsuit has nothing to do with advertising
campaigns, and only focuses on whether Dominguez is ill and whether Burger
King was responsible, the court papers say. Rochester lawyer Robert Brenna,
who represents the couple, has alleged in
court papers that there may be a radio advertising campaign designed to
place the Thruway operations in a positive light on the eve of a possible
trial.
Former Burger King employees, deposed as part of the lawsuit, have painted a
picture of a restaurant where supervision was scant and contamination of
food
products rife, the court papers state.
Some of those who were deposed "have testified to the facts that 60 to 100
sandwich patties were broiled after having been contaminated by urine; that
at least one employee saw another employee spitting on a burger which was
served to the public; that three managers determined there was inadequate
supervision at the subject Burger King restaurant at times; and that one of
those
managers was cut as a cost savings measure."
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/news/1110NM2AC4O_burger101_news.shtml
Comment From Name Wittheld
11-11-3
From what I have been told over the years, urinating into and onto the food
at Fast Food Restaurants is common practice by employees. I remember about
l5 years ago a mother, whose son worked at McDonalds, told
me to never eat at McDonalds or other fast food chains. Her son was telling
her all the time how this happened every day at his place of work and how it
was
common knowledge among employees. Each employee tries to outdo the other in
contaminating food.
A lot had to do with frustration over bad treatment, low pay, overworked, no
future.