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Chick-fil-A Is Being Sued for an Alleged Contamination Nightmare That Left a Teenager 'Foaming at the Mouth,' Hospitalized A mother is filing the suit on behalf of her 17-year-old son.

By Amanda Breen

Key Takeaways

  • A 17-year-old identified as J.P. suffered a severe allergic reaction after eating chicken nuggets at Chick-fil-A.
  • Within two weeks of the incident, the company announced an accidental dairy contamination at its supplier.

A mother has filed a lawsuit against Chick-fil-A and one of its franchise owners on behalf of her 17-year-old son, who allegedly suffered a severe allergic reaction after eating nuggets from the popular restaurant chain.

The complaint was filed on August 16 by Francine Powers, who says she was reassured by a server that the grilled chicken nuggets didn't contain any dairy before her son ate them and became so ill he was hospitalized, Insider first reported.

The mother and her son, identified as J.P. in the lawsuit, visited an Erie, New York Chick-fil-A location, which is operated by the Privitera family, on August 13, 2022, per the lawsuit.

Related: Florida Family Awarded $800,000 After Suing McDonald's When Their 4-Year-Old Was Allegedly Burned and 'Disfigured' By a Chicken Nugget

Soon after J.P. consumed the grilled nuggets there, he began "foaming at the mouth" and "felt his throat start to close," which resulted in him being rushed to a nearby pediatric emergency facility, the lawsuit continues. According to Powers, it took a couple of hours to halt her son's throat closure.

Within two weeks of the incident, the company announced its grilled nuggets and filets contained a dairy allergen due to a contamination issue at a supplier, CNN Business reported.

Powers is seeking a trial by jury and substantial damages over eight causes of damage, including negligence, infliction of emotional distress, and unfair and deceptive business practices.

Related: 25 Interesting Facts You Should Know About Chick-fil-A | Entrepreneur

Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

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