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."
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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.