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Can you believe this?

Man claims he was injured by chicken thermometer

By Tracey Read
TRead@News-Herald.com

A Willoughby Hills man is claiming some chicken he ordered from a local restaurant was not finger lickin' good.

Hugh Fiscus filed a lawsuit this week in Lake County Common Pleas Court claiming he injured his right hand on meat thermometers that had allegedly been left inside his Kentucky Fried Chicken order.

According to the suit filed by attorney Jaye Schlachet, Fiscus was hurt after purchasing several lunches from the Willoughby KFC on Euclid Avenue on Feb. 19, 2007.

"Plaintiff was unable to eat lunch and his bag with the chicken was placed in his vehicle to be eaten later that evening at home," Schlachet stated in the lawsuit.
"Plaintiff did not consume the chicken and left it in his vehicle.

"Subsequently, when cleaning his vehicle and removing the bag containing the chicken, he sustained contusions and puncture wounds to his right hand. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the chicken contained food thermometers which caused plaintiff to sustain the contusions and puncture wounds."

Fiscus is suing the owner of the franchise, Greg Federico of Wickliffe, personally for more than $25,000.

KFC's "negligence, carelessness and recklessness" caused him to incur medical expenses and "great pain, suffering, mental anguish and emotional distress," the suit stated.

Fiscus has an unlisted phone number and was unavailable for comment.

Federico did not immediately return calls to his home and office. However, a female manager at the KFC store who had not yet seen a copy of the lawsuit expressed her doubt about the man's claims.

"A meat thermometer in the chicken? That's really hard to believe," she said. "It's kinda big. You can't help but see it."

Here's why I could never be a judge:

My ruling would be for the plaintiff .... and I'd let him choose his award. He could pick from $1 ... $100 ... $1000 ..... or $25000.

My only condition would be that the defendent gets to inflict upon the plaintiff whatever degree of additonal pain and suffering he feels the award deserves.

I don't see anything in this story that prompts me to side with the statement that this displays the legal system is a joke. I'd say if you want to voluntarily give up your right to sue then fine. But to those seeing this case as a reason to restict mine, I say: go fly a kite.

Now if it is just the case that you find the story funny, I'll agree.

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I don't see anything in this story that prompts me to side with the statement that this displays the legal system is a joke.

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Same here.

Now, if this goes anywhere and the plaintiff is awarded a monetary sum, then that is a different story. But we all have the right to bring litigation in the event that we feel we have been wronged......

I don't see any indictment of the legal system at all,,, I do see a guy that is trying his best to put one over on the system and clogging it up with what appears to be a really bogus claim..,.

But the systems seems intact....

That just gave me a visual of Homer Simpson. Doh...Doh...Doh

Well, yes I do find it funny. Maybe I should have worded it a lil better.

But, how this got to the level of being a case makes me

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But, how this got to the level of being a case makes me

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Well, assuming things happened the way the guy said they did, then it should be simple... if KFC verifies that the thermometer is in fact, one of theirs, then they should pay the guy the $25,000 and move on... if not, then they might choose to fight it.

Given the title and the story, I might agree if he was suing for $25,000,000 but I think $25,000 is a reasonable place to start for something like this if KFC is either unwilling to accept fault or believes the guy is scamming them...

The one thing I disagree with in our court system is that if this guy bought the thermometer at Target and poked his own hand with it and that is proven, he should pay them $25,000 and then some.

I'm still trying to figure out the concept of he went to get lunch, then decided to not eat it at lunch and left it in his car for later? During which time, anyone could have put something in the bag.

Everyone knows how much better KFC tastes after it has sat in your vehicle for a few days,or weeks.
Not to mention the aroma.

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During which time, anyone could have put something in the bag.

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KFC's lawyer should be like the airline counter person.. "Sir has your lunch been out of your possession at any time or has anybody else put anything in there?"