Kucinich sues cafeteria for $150K in dental injuries due to olive.

[pnwmom]

Yeah, dental work is expensive, and maybe he needed a couple implants. But $150K?

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-pn-kucinich-lawsuit-20110127,0,2859602.story

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) is suing the operators of a House cafeteria for alleged negligence stemming from a 3-year-old incident involving a sandwich he says left him with significant dental injuries.

Kucinich is seeking $150,000 in damages from companies that run the cafeteria in the Longworth House Office Building and the providers that service it. According to the District of Columbia Superior Court, the case was filed on Jan. 3, and a hearing has been scheduled for April 8.

A copy of the suit obtained by the Cleveland Plain Dealer documents the April 2008 incident, in which Kucinich purchased a sandwich wrap he says was "represented to contain pitted olives." After consuming it, Kucinich found the olives were not pitted, causing "serious and permanent dental and oral injuries" that required "multiple surgical and dental procedures."

SNIP
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The article goes on to say that he wants damages for pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment. Boy, if I could get that for every time I've suffered at the dentist's!

[Motown_Johnny]

1. This is almost Exactly the hypothetical presented to my class

by the lawyer who was teaching us some basics


No sandwich was involved. Simply the question of a pit still remaining in what was marketed as pitted olives.


In his opinion, because no manufacturing process is ever perfect it is reasonable to assume a pit will be present in some small percentage of the olives after processing.

If there were a foreign object in with the olives that would be another story. It is not reasonable to assume a piece of glass or a nail would be present.


If my instructor is on the jury then Dennis is going to lose. I should also point out that he warned us that juries often make poor decisions and that a case like this could go either way.

[Statistical]

4. I crunched down on a pitted olive once.

Had a pit. Hurt like hell. I mean I crunch down on it hard. Anyways I didn't need dental work but it never occurred to me to use.

Like you said no process is perfect.

[pnwmom]

6. Interesting. I learned to "chew softly" after the first time

I broke a tooth. And your instructor's right, I think -- common sense would tell you to be careful eating things that may contain hard parts.

It will be interesting to see what the jury says.

[lise]

2. blech...

way to go, Dennis.

I'm getting increasingly disillusioned by our reps.

What Statesman-like behavior. /sarc

[JBoy]

3. Here's what his lawyer had to say:

"This a clear violation of your rights as a consumer. It's an infringement on your constitutional rights. It's outrageous, egregious, preposterous."

[slay]

5. rofl

Jackie Chiles in da house!

[Cattledog]

7. Kucinich is now the Poster Boy

for frivolous lawsuits.

[Obamanaut]

8. Damn those greedy, money grubbing Repu.......never mind. nt

[RagAss]

9. Jeeeez Dennis....Do some recon with the fork next time...!

[RedCloud]

10. Have you thought about the ass whooping Popeye is going to give him?

That could easily cost over 100 grand to repair!

[Rex]

11. Honestly, how is that possible?

I love DK, but how is it possible that a non-pitted olive did so much damage to his teeth? I've chomped into a many spanish olive and just spit the seed out and I have thousands invested in my teeth. He broke all his teeth?

[bluestate10]

12. Unreal!!

Anyone that bite down on one olive with a pit in knows that something is wrong. Does Kuchinich eat like a shark?