Ypsilanti coney island owner calls lawsuit over hot corned beef hash 'ridiculous'
A lawsuit filed recently in Washtenaw County alleges an Ypsilanti coney island restaurant served a woman scorching hot corned beef hash that burned her mouth, according to court records.
The suit, filed by Allysen M. Kauppinen on May 7, states that she came to Luca’s Coney Island in July 2010 and ordered eggs and corned beef hash. Records show the 43-year-old woman lives in Ypsilanti Township about a mile away from the restaurant, located at 309 E. Michigan Ave.
The eggs were of normal temperature, but the hash was too hot and severely burned Kauppinen’s mouth, forcing her to seek medical attention, the lawsuit alleges.
“The hash apparently had been heated in a microwave oven and was considerably hotter than (she) was expecting,” the suit states. “…She sustained serious burns to the skin in her mouth and on her palate.”
Kauppinen, who is seeking more than $25,000 in damages, thinks the food was heated unnecessarily hot and that she should have been warned the food was dangerous, according to the suit.
She said the hot hash required her to avoid solid food for a month. This caused her “great emotional upset, embarrassment and pain,” according to the lawsuit. She also incurred both medical and pharmaceutical expenses.
Luca’s owner Mike Nuculaj said his corned beef hash is not microwaved and is cooked on the restaurant’s grill.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said about the lawsuit. “Corned beef hash has to come hot. Hot food is served hot, cold is served cold.”
Nuculaj said he recalled Kauppinen trying to sue him him before over the hot hash. He’s not sure what happened to the first suit, but said that it was filed by a different attorney and never settled.
He wishes Kauppinen had come to see him after being served the alleged too-hot hash.
“I’m sorry the lady never came to see me,” he said, adding that he always tries to compensate dissatisfied customers in some fashion. “(Now) it’s for the courts. I’m shocked and I’m surprised.”
In a phone message left for AnnArbor.com, Kauppinen’s Farmington Hills-based attorney Ron A. Steinberg confirmed the lawsuit is proceeding forward
“Everything that is stated in the complaint is true and accurate,” he said in the message.
He could not immediately be reached for further comment. There were no hearing dates yet set in the matter, according to court records.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Cameron McLain
Mon, Jun 3, 2013 : 8:24 p.m.
Anything to get a dollar huh? Go somewhere and sue because your coffee was too hot.... What a joke. Lock up that woman. The store owner would have went lengths to make his customer feel better about the situation, instead shes suing Lucas for what they are worth... I hate people. Luca's is awesome. Anything we can do, let us know
moodyone
Sun, Jun 2, 2013 : 12:09 a.m.
The owner's response is hilarious: "It's ridiculous," he said about the lawsuit. "Corned beef hash has to come hot. Hot food is served hot, cold is served cold." As if there is only "hot" and "cold," rather than, I don't know, infinite gradations of each, some of which are not appropriate to put in one's mouth! I suppose it would be okay if the ice cream were served at -3000 Kelvins--I mean, hello, ice cream is supposed to be cold.
Cameron McLain
Mon, Jun 3, 2013 : 8:25 p.m.
Really? Common sense out the window huh?
DonBee
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 10:04 p.m.
Sometimes I have to wonder about lawsuits overall. Yesterday on NPR there was a long segment on Kellogg's and a class action suite. The people who bought the cereal can get up to $15 in coupons from Kellogg, the lawyer gets over $1 million in cash. He has over a dozen other class action suits in process. I have to wonder if it should not be the lawyer who pays if they file and lose if the suit is deemed frivolous by the court. The requirement should be that the court finds the suit frivolous, not just that the person filing loses.
mady
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 2:06 p.m.
This lawsuit is well beyond ridiculous, i don't think the word exists to describe it.
Piper Anasazi
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 5:20 a.m.
Please Google IMAGE "mcdonalds coffee burns" most people dont know that the D had the coffee set at almost 200 degrees check out www.hotcoffeethemovie.com I thought the same thing until I SAW THE PICTURES. OMG YES she was SCARRED .... Yes I joked about the mcdonalds coffee lady - but just LOOK at the PICTURES - horrible now this hash brown lady - please let us see your BURNS - are they Close to these pictures????? Again Google "mcdonalds coffee burns" this really is the old ladies burns - I watched the Documentary she DID NOT get millions Mcdonalds only offered her $750 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald's_Restaurants She only asked for $20,000
Woman in Ypsilanti
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 5:30 p.m.
Exactly. I would want to know the extend of this woman's injuries from the hash before I presume to judge her lawsuit to be frivolous. That may turn out to be the case but for right now, no one knows.
Steve
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 2:21 a.m.
Yes, this suit is creating many amusing comments yet given the importance of serving food at appropriate temperatures (165 F) for the hash it would be a very bad precedent to penalize someone in the industry for serving food at a safe temperature. Because the opposite of not bringing re-heated foods to 165 F can you leave feeling sick for a long time.
Cameron McLain
Mon, Jun 3, 2013 : 8:26 p.m.
Point in case, you HAVE to heat and leave it at 165. Any colder than that, you are doing a bad job serving your food on time.... It only takes a few minutes to cool down anyhow.
djacks24
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 5:56 p.m.
I would think this entire lawsuit is ridiculous myself if it weren't for the bad press and reputation this restaurant already has...Makes me wonder now?
Woman in Ypsilanti
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 5:29 p.m.
While I may think this law suit is less ridiculous than most, I can say that as a regular customer of this location of Luca's, this does not damage their reputation with me. I eat there every month or so and I LOVE the place. The food is well prepared. I've never had anything served to me too hot or too cold in all of the time I have been going there so if this woman actually was severely burned, it is an anomaly. I have never had anything but wonderful food and exceptional service there. Oh, and at really great prices.
KathrynHahn
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 10:43 a.m.
lucas has two locations, no other issues at this one except over-nuked food.
In doubt
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 5:54 p.m.
It is ridiculous, my gosh, she is an adult. did she ever think about checking to see how hot is was like the rest of us do? Are restaurants suppose to put a little tag on you food that it may be hot? How much food gets sent back because people complain it is cold? This is absolutely ridiculous!
nickcarraweigh
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 4:25 p.m.
People have been known to line up and fight at this restaurant, maybe because of the hash.
Cameron McLain
Mon, Jun 3, 2013 : 8:28 p.m.
ahahahaha. good comment. people do that in Yspi at alot more than Lucas... thats for sure
KathrynHahn
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 10:41 a.m.
wrong Lucas address, you're thinking of the one on Washtenaw
Kai Petainen
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 3:31 p.m.
"Kauppinen" -- with the 'nen' at the end of the name... it sounds very much like a Finnish name. (my name is Finnish, hence the 'nen' at the end of it) Anyways... if it is Finnish... It should be noted that Finns are fond of saunas... with a LOT of heat. So, if it is Finnish and this person is going after something that was too hot... ... they should be banned from Saunas for the rest of their life... ... for making other Finns look bad with regard to heat.
huh7891
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 11:40 p.m.
Huh?
Nicole
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:45 p.m.
I agree with the owner. RIDICULOUS. Test your food before shoveling it into your mouth. My 5 yr old even knows that.
hail2thevict0r
Thu, May 30, 2013 : noon
I think the owner said it best: "Hot food is served hot, cold is served cold." This is not a liquid we're talking about here where it could be 1 degree short of boiling, it's corned beef hash. There's only so hot something like that can get without burning and the intent of it is to be served hot. I'm guessing that the varying degrees that it's cooked at is minimal and at any given restaurant it's served at about the same temp (should it be served right from the kitchen to the table). There's some level of responsibility on the consumer not to shove a fork into their eye, bite their tongue or shove hot food in their mouth without blowing on it a little first or waiting for it to cool. This is not a child, this was a 43 year old woman. This is not a case where the lady was used to getting something at a certain temperature and all of a sudden one day it was nuclear. Corned beef hash is served hot and always has been. It's like asking for fajitas and then being shocked to burn yourself on the sizzling platter it comes on.
Trepang674
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 11:58 a.m.
I wonder if the lack of eating solid foods for a month improved Kauppinen's health.
The_King
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 9:57 a.m.
I agree with the owner - this is ridiculous. My thoughts are, anybody who files such a lawsuit 3 years after the incident occurred has nothing better to do with their spare time or they're just looking for an easy way to get money. If her experience in July of 2010 at Lucas was so bad, why didn't she notify the police, call an ambulance, or file a lawsuit then? Although I don't eat their regularly, I believe we should support local family owned businesses such as Luca's. I hope this doesn't ruin their name because in my opinion - this is a defamation of character.
KathrynHahn
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 7:56 a.m.
Please don't confuse this with the location on Washtenaw that had other issues, same owners, different cooks. I have had an experience at the Mich. Ave location too, with a grilled ham & Cheese, they wanted the refrigerated ham to be hot, so they nuked it, for far too long, then grilled it. By the time it had cooled enough to eat, my companion was done eating and ready to go. No lawsuit ensued, but cooks need to lay off the microwaves in these kitchens!!!
grimmk
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 6:15 a.m.
Is this the same lawsuit as the previous one? Is there a limitation on how long one can wait? The timing just doesn't seem to add up. One would think, I speculate, that one one sue right after they were injured. When I was a child a server put a straw in hot chocolate and gave it to me. I didn't know it was hot. I scalded my mouth. But my parents didn't sue anyone over it.
beardown
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 5:16 a.m.
Would she have been happier if the food was cold?
mady
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 7:07 p.m.
Good point!!
Atlas Shrugged
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 5:07 a.m.
Pat Dailey, AKA Patrick Houston Dailey, AKA the troubadour of the Great Lakes, AKA "the coolest SOB in the world," recorded a song titled "You don't have to be drunk to be an a**hole." Me thinks he was referring to the plaintiff in this case, and her lawyer.
rm1
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 3:37 a.m.
tdw tells us: "it is about the liberals golden boy ( Clinton ).Clinton had a bill placed in front of him that would have done just that [shifter lawyer fees].Being in the pocket of the trial lawyers he vetoed it" This story really makes no sense -- is it from faux news? Any bill in front of the President for signing would affect only lawsuits under Federal law. But the vast majority of injury lawsuits, like hot coffee or hot corned beef hash suits, arise under state law and are in the state courts, where they would be unaffected by this (imagined?) law said to have been vetoed by President Clinton.
brian
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 2:36 a.m.
If your going to worry about being injured by your food being to hot than cook yourself.
brian
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 2:34 a.m.
Think I'll try this with Dairy Queen, you know, brain freeze. These people need to get a life.
talker
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 1:51 a.m.
I like hot food to be hot. Maybe the reason I have to tell waitstaff that I want this or that hot is because of lawsuites like this. When I was a child, my mom taught me to check on the heat of my food before eating it. My compliments to the server who got the food to the patron before it cooled off. It's up to the diner to know whether to eat the food immediately or wait a few minutes. There are times, I ask a waitperson to take something back to the oven because it's not hot enough. Now I understand why some restaurants have to be asked to heat something. People, if it's too hot, let it cool. If it's not hot enough, I'll continue to send it back to be heated.
Christine
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 1:35 a.m.
Action Jackson, charring is not the definition of third degree burns. The lady at McDonalds had burns down to the bone, which made them third degree.
Scott Straley
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:55 a.m.
Hmmm... if you google the plaintiff's first and last name and the word "myspace"... and if the indexed blog article is accurate, this may have affected her career. (There is some graphic language in that blog poster's article, so caveat emptor.)
Nicholas Urfe
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:45 a.m.
@John Counts: is the corned beef hash, or corned beef, from a can? If so, then that is the real crime here.
John Counts
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 3:46 p.m.
The owner told me the corned beef hash was homemade.
cibachrome
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:44 a.m.
Another Hash Bash (to cache a dash of cash over a splash of smash and a crash).
Tom Joad
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:13 a.m.
You can't buy this kind of advertising: Corned Beef Hash at Luca's Good and Hot
eldegee
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:12 a.m.
Raise your hand if you have ever blistered your mouth on molten pizza cheese. Yeah, me too. It's unanimous!
Lenscap
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 2:47 a.m.
It's the sauce that squirts up like a geyser from beneath the cheese that's the problem.
eldegee
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 1 a.m.
I didn't know pizza ovens got that dang hot! That would explain all the dozens of times I've scorched my piehole. Some of us never learn....
Scott Straley
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:46 a.m.
Isn't plasma cheese a requirement for pizza? That's why pizza ovens are 5,600 degrees. If you don't have a molten and shredded roof of your mouth for your tongue to explore, you haven't had good pizza.
Jay Thomas
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:01 a.m.
If the lawsuit is successful you can expect all the usual late night suspects to start coming to Luca's in the afternoon.
Tesla
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:51 p.m.
I burnt my lower lip pretty bad this weekend after cooking some awesome fried chicken that I couldn't wait to cool down. Can I sue myself?
grimmk
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 5:46 a.m.
Damn, I bite myself a lot when I eat. Can I sue me? Who knew!
Dirty Mouth
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:38 p.m.
A lawsuit was recently filed because people are twisting their neck staring at all the new skyscrapers in downtown A2.
Dirty Mouth
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 10 p.m.
you should sue.
cinnabar7071
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 2:56 p.m.
So thats where my neck pain came from. Hmmm
huh7891
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:37 p.m.
Hmm..maybe you should be a bit more careful before shoveling food into your mouth. Take some responsibility for your own actions...wow!
Nicholas Urfe
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:17 p.m.
I wonder what time of day or early morning this happened? I can't speak for the woman in the story, but my gastronomic judgement has at times been unsound in the wee hours, and I have eaten things I never should have.
John Counts
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 3:45 p.m.
The lawsuit said it was at 8 a.m. that morning.
1bit
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:15 p.m.
"Nuculaj said he recalled Kauppinen trying to sue him him before over the hot hash. He's not sure what happened to the first suit, but said that it was filed by a different attorney and never settled. " Okay, so she was burned before, sued before, and then came back for more (too) hot hash? Would any reasonable person do this? This woman should be absolutely ashamed of herself. Worse, I would never in a million years hire Mr. Steinberg at this point for not doing his due diligence prior to filing this nonsense; he gives lawyers a bad name. Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me.
1bit
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 1:35 a.m.
@OT3: looks like I may have misinterpreted it. Thanks for the correction.
OLDTIMER3
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:29 a.m.
I assume the owner meant that the first time she sued it never went to trial and she re-sued . Not that she came back and did it again.
a2citizen
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:13 a.m.
"...This woman should be absolutely ashamed of herself..." People like this are NEVER ashamed of themselves.
PineyWoodsGuy
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:23 p.m.
98% of lawyers give the ethical 2% a bad name . . .
EyeHeartA2
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:12 p.m.
This is one jury trial I would actually like to sit on. Somehow, I just don't see it going to trial though.
sheepyd
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:10 p.m.
I think the only solution is to outlaw corned beef hash. Or atleast limit that size of the container that the hash comes in. When you outlaw corned beef hash the only people with the corned beef hash will be criminals; and then what? They can tear the corned beef hash from my cold dead hands.
Candy
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 10:57 p.m.
Let's see. I was taught at a very young age to let my hot food cool off before eating it. Hope Mr. Nuculaj wins this one!
PineyWoodsGuy
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 10:53 p.m.
She was "burned" in July, 2010? Did she keep her Cash Register receipt? I can't even remember what I ate in April, 2013! Did she pay a doctor or dentist to examine her mouth in July, 2010? Is there a medical or dental record? I sincerely hope that annarbor.com will follow this lawsuit and tell us readers how it resolved.
Nicholas Urfe
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 10:20 p.m.
This lawsuit is the best thing that ever happened to that joint. Because otherwise I would have never heard of them... You can't buy advertising that effective.
Hugh Giariola
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 11:07 a.m.
@Eyeheart, you're wrong about the location. There are 2 Luca's in the Ypsi area. This one is on Michigan Ave. across from the Bomber restaurant. The one with the late night troubles is on Washtenaw Ave. across from Cueter Chrysler Jeep.
Nicholas Urfe
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:16 p.m.
Oh. This is that place? Never noted the name before.
EyeHeartA2
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:10 p.m.
You must have read all the WCSD call articles. This place is in the news all the time for one thing or another.
Gdnlvr
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 10:12 p.m.
This sounds like an easy doer with Judge Judy.....
mady
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 7:04 p.m.
Yeah, Judge Judy would "settle this lady's hash" in no time!
Barry
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 10:07 p.m.
Is this article actually from The Onion?
Greg
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 9:51 p.m.
Can I sure the lady involved for the heartburn her frivolous lawsuit is giving me???
Lake Trout
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 5:55 p.m.
Sure, you can try...to sue...
a2citizen
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:09 a.m.
You sue can.
obviouscomment
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 9:26 p.m.
I agree with the owner...RIDICULOUS!!!
Woman in Ypsilanti
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 9:22 p.m.
It seems fair to me that if the hash actually burned her and required medical attention, Luca's should pay for her medical bills. I don't think Luca's should have to pay for pain and suffering though unless she had some permanent damage that wasn't mentioned in the article. FWIW, I have been eating at Luca's regularly for over a decade and have never had a single bad incident in their restaurant.
EyeHeartYpsi
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:35 p.m.
@Billy. There are two Luca's locations in Ypsi. The subject of this article is the original location on Michigan Ave., which has been there for some time. There's a newer one on Washtenaw as well.
Billy
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:18 p.m.
Did they move from a previous location? Because their current location has only been there a few years.
willowrunistillcare
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 8:34 p.m.
IF in fact this was true, did this woman make known her situation back in July 2010 while she was at the restaurant? Did she make a scene? Does she make a lot of scenes? I'm sorry but why would you continue to put "too" hot food in your mouth?????
dogpaddle
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 8:15 p.m.
I agree with some of the other comments that we don't want to set limits on "the little guy" being able to sue a big corp and their deep pockets when they are negligent, BUT, Luca's is hardly a big corp and is a family trying to run a small business which I hope will still be the backbone of American enterprise. And that business is to serve HOT food. Like the other posts have asked, didn't the steam coming off of it serve as a warning that this food that the customer expected to be hot was indeed HOT? This reminds me of the person who sued McD a few years ago over their coffee (now with warnings that contents are HOT). Where is our responsibility in these matters? Don't get me wrong, I'm really sorry this customer suffered, but she ordered hot food and stuck it in her mouth. I'm not perfect, in fact, far from it. But normally when I see steaming hot food land in front of me, I usually take a very small taste to "test" before putting a big wad of it in my mouth that might potentially sear it. Just like the person who ordered hot coffee and got just what she ordered, stuck it between her legs (probably at an angle) in what was to become a moving vehicle (that is a risk we assume when we do that). Yes, I know, allegedly the coffee was "too hot", but good, that's how I want my coffee. I know when I'm on road trips and pull into a Starbuck's, I guarantee you if I put that coffee to my lips right away (or between my legs), it's going to be hot. Very HOT. Use CAUTION and common sense. Again, I'm sorry for her injury, but don't blame Luca for hot food. I would be very upset if it wasn't.
Red Barber
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 4:40 a.m.
actionjackson, Here's the definition of 'third degree' : 1 denoting burns of the most severe kind, affecting tissue below the skin. Watch HBO's documentary "Hot Coffee" and see what you think about the woman's burns (along with the rest of the facts of the case). I'm sure you'll then agree that this is not a debate about semantics; as you'll find it impossible to say that the tissue below her skin was not affected (quite negatively).
Rob Pollard
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 4:16 a.m.
Actionjackson, I understand where you're coming from based on media reports, but you are completely wrong about the McD case. There was a well-received documentary on this topic two years ago. Watch the trailer here, http://www.hotcoffeethemovie.com/ . About 45 seconds in to the trailer, people who had previously said it was ridiculous that McD was sued were visibly taken aback when looking at her severe injuries (far more severe than whatever happened to this woman at Luca's, for what it worth). The coffee was found to have been served at 180-190 degrees. Think about that.
actionjackson
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 10:55 p.m.
Woman in Ypsi: Third degree burns are charring of the skin! Doubt that this was the case from a hot liquid. Second degree blistering maybe.
Christine
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 10:40 p.m.
The vehicle was not moving. I would urge you to look into the details of the McDonalds coffee lawsuit. The whole thing has been distorted by the media. Starbucks does not serve coffee that hot. The coffee does not come out of the drip basket that hot. They were overheating the coffee because a consultant told them that people who order coffee at the drive-through do not drink it right away and that they would lose more money from unhappy drivers than it would cost them to squash lawsuits. Comments like that have a tendency to bring out the worst in jurors, and they exercised their legal right to send McDonalds a message about injuring people for profit. And the whole was overturned on appeal anyhow.
Woman in Ypsilanti
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 9:25 p.m.
You do know that the woman who sued McDonalds had some serious burns because McDonalds was serving their coffee at temperatures which were dangerously hot. She actually was seriously injured and the end result of that law suit was not just that McDonalds put warnings on their coffee but that McDonalds stopped serving their coffee hot enough to cause THIRD degree burns. We are all safer because of that law suit.
Nicholas Urfe
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 8:04 p.m.
It was not clear to me from the story - was this a young child, inexperienced at eating prepared food, that was burned by this hash? I can see how a kid might not know to feel the package before biting it. And, you know, blow on it a bit to get a sense of how hot it is before jamming it in your mouth.
cinnabar7071
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 2:37 p.m.
John are you sure on the age, this doesn't sound like something a person who's been eating for 43 years would do. Just asking, surely a mistake on the age has been made.
talker
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 1:57 a.m.
If it were a child instead of an adult, the child wouldn't be alone. A person with the child would be expected to check the heat and texture of the food and (depending on the age of the child) cut the food into pieces that cool faster.
sellers
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:31 p.m.
If it was an 18mo as questioned would that mean that the state could sue the plaintiff (parent) for child endangerment ?
Tyler
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:27 p.m.
Yeah, thanks John. I too thought to myself who was watching this toddler when it ordered corned beef hash and who wouldn't blow on this poor child's food to keep it cool for them. But I see now as John points out, the plaintiff is 43 years old, not 18 months like I previously assumed.
Nicholas Urfe
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 10:22 p.m.
Thanks, John. I missed that when I re-scanned the story for an age.
seldon
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 9:28 p.m.
(I would argue that the above is a legitimate question, by the way)
John Counts
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 9:05 p.m.
As indicated in the story, the plaintiff is a 43-year-old woman.
John of Saline
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:59 p.m.
"Nuculaj"? Is that pronounced something like "nuclei"? Because that's awesome.
John of Saline
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:58 p.m.
Corned beef hash and eggs. Sounds like a good dinner.
applehazar
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:45 p.m.
You smoke hash - not eat it ! :) just saying
YpsiGreen
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 1:21 a.m.
"I Tried To Smoke Some Hash, But The Corned Beef Wouldn't Light!"
OLDTIMER3
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:18 a.m.
Not corned beef hash you don't.
Ann English
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 10:41 p.m.
I read the article because I thought by "hash," marijuana was meant.
Paul
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:58 p.m.
Yeah but it doesn't seem as good as in the past, stick with bud
norainnorainbow
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:44 p.m.
I just hope that the parties involved can hash this out.
Robert Honeyman
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 1:41 p.m.
kind of corny, although i've got no beef with that.
Brad
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:32 p.m.
Hash puns = OK Egg puns = OK Just don't make one about a "beef", because they seem to violate the conversation guidelines.
Urban Sombrero
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:08 p.m.
Eggsactly!
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:44 p.m.
Since reading this story I haven't been able to sleep at night. I have nearly constant headaches and heart palpitations. i am emotionally upset about this story and what its done to me. I can't focus, i can't make decisions, should I call Sam or Geoffry?
Robert Honeyman
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 1:39 p.m.
dang! beat me to the punch, craig!
Tom
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 11:16 a.m.
Clearly you need to call Steinberg, Ron that is!
Homeland Conspiracy
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 3:25 a.m.
http://www.bettercallsaul.com/
original perp
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:14 a.m.
don't forget about your poor partners "loss of consortium" due to the article's effect.
Brad
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 10:49 p.m.
Call Saul!
Paul
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:58 p.m.
Call them both, lol
Jaime
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:40 p.m.
It is now almost three years after the alleged incident. If she actually suffered the injuries she said she had, who can really say she got them from the hash. If the burns were that bad she would have immediately gone to an urgent care or emergency room. Who is to say she wasn't told the food was hot. Sounds to me like someone wants to get a quick settlement.
Lake Trout
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 5:48 p.m.
On top of it being 3 years later, the article says that this same woman tried to sue him before for the same complaint. What!!!??? As Julia says, the woman can't even remember whe she went to the ER. After watching the interveiw on Channel 7 last night, my impression of this woman is that she is very nieve and unable to remember what someone has coached her to say. I would suspect sheis being used to attempt to extort money from Mr. Nuculaj . Hope the Judge throws this one out immediately...and if they don't, I hope Mr. Nuculaj counter-sues the heck out of her.
Julia Herbst
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 3:28 a.m.
In her televised interview, she doesnt even remember when she went to ER. She was asked if she went the same nigh, And she said "I dont remember, I think so". I know for dang certain that If I was burnt, I would call the waitress and manager over IMMEDIATELY, and then go from there. This is ridiculous, and an attack on a small buisness that does good in our community
Bertha Venation
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 5:34 p.m.
Exactly!
Billy
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:38 p.m.
"Luca's owner Mike Nuculaj said his corned beef hash is not microwaved and is cooked on the restaurant's grill." Exactly...microwaved hash would just be....blah...
Hugh Giariola
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:29 p.m.
I suppose the steam coming off of the food was not a give-away.....
Backthetruckup
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 1:25 p.m.
Enough said...perfect! Kudo's on busting 100 likes!
Mousedeva
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:34 p.m.
Yeah thought the same damn thing....if we all could sue over hot coffee/corned beef hash/etc, no restaurant would be in business and people would have to cook for themselves! Oh wait, then they'll sue the microwave/oven companies. Doh!
doctrsnoop
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:21 p.m.
Not saying that this one is necessarily frivolous, though I have my opinion, but 99% of bad lawsuits could be eliminated if the plaintiff would be responsible for defendant's costs if their suit fails.
Joe_Citizen
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 9:34 a.m.
I agree, and if I were on the jury it would be very hard to convince me she was suffering for a whole month. I ate a french fry fresh out of the oil when i was a kid. I learned my lesson and it burnt my mouth really bad where the skin was all blistered and stuff, but it only lasted a few days. I'm not buying it.
johnnya2
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 2:26 a.m.
A HORRIBLE idea.Read a little about companies doing things to people that is questionable. The plaintiff may have a valid case, but may not be able to prove it if somebody lies or throws some doubt on a case. In fact, try suing Mansanto for causing people cancer. IF a link is proven the LAW says Mansanto is immune from suits, meaning they would automatically lose. How about if the SCOTUS decides DOMA is illegal, should John Boehner be forced to PAY the lawyer fees for the plaintiffs? How about the Dred Scott case? Would you bill Dred Scott for his case? When UM won it's affirmative action case, should the girl who sued be required to pay the U's legal bills? Judges can throw cases out on summary judgment if they believe there is no basis in law for the suit. IF there is ANY basis in law, then the only question, is a matter of fact for a jury to decide.
tdw
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:22 p.m.
Well I predict I'll get a bunch of thumbs down cause it is about the liberals golden boy ( Clinton ).Clinton had a bill placed in front of him that would have done just that.Being in the pocket of the trial lawyers he vetoed it
Steve Krause
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 10:01 p.m.
I have no idea what's going on in this case and that coney island seems to be nothing but trouble all-around. But before you completely dismiss these kinds of cases or limite the damages, watch the movie "Hot Coffee," which is a documentary about the case of the hot MacDonalds coffee spill incident. It made me rethink what counts as "frivolous" for sure. See http://www.hotcoffeethemovie.com/
Mike
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 8:18 p.m.
It would be nice if the plaintiff let the defendant know that something actually happened so they could attempt to help. This is what's wrong with this country................
doctrsnoop
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:49 p.m.
@seldon. Yes, that is true. A quick fix to that is to set limits, perhaps 10K, 5K or even 1K in costs.
seldon
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 7:25 p.m.
Yeah, but that would also stop any little guy from suing a big guy, ever. Large corporations can run up, and survive, huge legal bills that would ruin any individual you haven't seen on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. They'd basically be immune from suit due to the risks of losing and having to pay 20 million in legal fees.