MOUNT KISCO, NY — A Greenwich woman is suing Rye Brook-based Chop’t Creative Salad Company LLC after finding a severed human finger in her salad at the company’s Mount Kisco restaurant location, according to a summons and complaint filed in Westchester County Supreme Court on Monday.
According to court documents, Allison Cozzi purchased a salad at the Chop’t Creative Salad Company in Mount Kisco in April. The lawsuit makes a number of allegations.
“Shortly after plaintiff purchased the salad, while she was eating the salad, she realized that she was chewing on a portion of human finger that had been mixed in to, and made a part of, the salad,” lawyers said in the complaint. “That earlier in the day an employee working at the aforementioned Chop’t Creative Salad Company restaurant was chopping arugula and chopped off, or cut off, a portion of her left pointer finger. The employee then left the restaurant and went to the hospital.”
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According to the lawsuit, the employee who cut off a portion of her finger was a manager of the restaurant. Lawyers for the customer contend that the contaminated arugula was left on the service line and served to customers, including the plaintiff.
The Westchester County Department of Health conducted an investigation and issued a violation ticket to Chop’t Creative Salad Company. According to the Westchester County Department of Health’s Board of Health Violations, the civil penalty for this case was $900.
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Chop’d Creative did not contest or appeal the finding of its violation and paid the fine, according to the lawsuit.
“Defendants by their agents, servants and/or employees were reckless, careless and negligent in providing food that was contaminated and adulterated with a foreign object consisting of a portion of a human finger; in failing to properly inspect the food before it was served to customers,” the lawsuit contends. “In failing to properly coordinate the preparation and serving of the food; in failing to properly and adequately ensure that the portion of the human finger would not contaminate the food defendants were preparing and serving to customers such as plaintiff.”
Lawyers for the customer say that she faces lasting effects from the disturbing incident.
“As a result of the… described negligence and statutory violations plaintiff was caused to sustain severe and serious personal injuries including: shock; panic attacks; migraine and the exacerbation of migraine; cognitive impairment; traumatic stress and anxiety, nausea, vomiting, dizziness; and neck and shoulder pain,” according to the court filing.
Representatives from the Chop’t Creative Salad Company did not immediately respond to Patch’s request for a comment on the incident.
“My client has instructed me that she does not want any publicity,” Marc Reibman, Cozzi’s lawyer, told Patch. “She is fearful that publicity will exacerbate her stress and anxiety levels.”
This article was updated to include a statement from the plaintiff’s lawyer.
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