GRETNA – A Raceland woman is suing a restaurant franchise claiming she received food poisoning from a glass of tea.
Tanganyika Payne filed suit against Piccadilly Restaurants, LLC in the 24th Judicial District Court on Aug. 9. Payne claims she was dining at a Piccadilly Cafeteria located at 2222 Clearview Parkway in Metairie with a friend when she noticed an iced tea she had purchased had a strange taste to it.
The plaintiff claims she approached the cashier and manager of the restaurant who both tasted the tea and agreed it had a bad taste before discarding it. Payne asserts that with a 24 hour period of drinking the tea she became violently ill due to food poisoning. The plaintiff claims that the poisoning caused her to suffer severe and painful injuries to her abdominal section, gastrointestinal area and resulted in headaches as well.
The defendant is accused of serving a contaminated beverage, failing to act as a reasonably prudent person preparing the beverage causing it to become contaminated, failing to act as a reasonably prudent restaurant operator by allowing the tea to become contaminated, failing to protect restaurant patrons, failing to properly inspect food, failing to warn patrons that beverage would cause food poisoning, allowing hazardous conditions to exist which caused the food poisoning and serving contaminated tea to a customer resulting in injury.
An unspecified amount in damages is sought for medical costs, pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, disability, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, medication and court costs and expenses.
Payne is represented by Bruce C. Betzer of the Metairie-based The Law Office of Bruce C. Betzer.
The case has been assigned to Division F Judge Patrick J. McCabe.
Case no. 718-034.