Cheese Lawsuit? Another Example Of What NJ Doesn’t Need

Before we get into it, let's first point out the good news. This particular lawsuit involving a fast food restaurant and a slice of cheese did not occur in New Jersey.

But it did happen rather close to us, so who knows? Perhaps someone in our state will decide to sue over a slice of cheese next to give themselves a big payday.

And why not? I mean, isn't the whole spill-your-coffee-on-yourself thing a little outdated? New Jersey has certainly seen its fair share of those.

Take McDonald's, for example. During the fall of 2021, a New Jersey woman spilled hot coffee onto her lap and sued the establishment for compensation. That injury was blamed on a lid not being properly secured.

In another incident occurring just before the McDonald's one mentioned above, a man sued a New Jersey Dunkin' for coffee also spilling onto himself resulting in burns. And yes, this was also blamed on the lid.

You can read more about both those lawsuits here, but you get the point. These types of lawsuits seem to be way too common when it comes to fast-food joints.

But most of them involve coffee, which is why this one involving a slice of cheese is so unique. Yes, it did involve a trip to the emergency room, but the circumstances behind this lawsuit are a little different.

For this one, we head to our neighbors just north of us. A Rockland County, NY, customer sued McDonald's over the placement of cheese on his burger.

Insert a long pause here to gather your thoughts. On the surface, this appears to be somebody who's in it for a big payday.

But there is a serious component to his one. And it's one all fast food workers in New Jersey need to pay extra attention to.

According to The New York Post, "an errant slice of cheese on his Big Mac almost killed him in February 2021." And no, the cheese itself wasn't spoiled.

The customer suffered an allergic reaction as a result, which is what prompted the lawsuit. But there's a bit of blame going on both sides with this one.

On the one hand, McDonald's got the order wrong, causing this customer to suffer an allergic reaction and get rushed to the hospital. A very unfortunate circumstance that could've potentially been avoided.

But on the other hand, shouldn't the customer have checked his burger before biting into it? He claimed he didn't see any cheese melting along the sides, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there.

And if such a dire allergic reaction that could potentially threaten your life is possible, wouldn't one think you'd open the burger up and inspect it first? The customer's throat closed up so much that he actually thought he wouldn't make it out alive.

The customer says he continues to eat at McDonald's, but will only order plain burgers now. Again, not a lawsuit in New Jersey, but could it happen here?

And, could it happen for more frivolous reasons? Who's to say a sue-hungry customer won't sue over cheese placement because they swallowed their burger too fast and choked?

The most important lesson here for New Jersey fast food workers is this. Pay extra attention to those special orders, because you never know the reason behind them.

Someone could order no pickles because they just don't like pickles. Or they could be doing so because they'll have an allergic reaction like the one above.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.