Sylvania couple sues, says meat held bandages

5/9/2014

A Sylvania couple who said they found a bloody bandage rather than bacon in a hamburger patty bought at the Fresh Market has filed suit against the grocery store.

In a complaint filed Wednesday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court, Timothy and Debra Teague say they bought “fully prepared gourmet beef hamburger patties with bacon in the center” from the Fresh Market, 3315 W. Central Ave., on Feb. 18, 2013.

According to the complaint, Mr. Teague opened the package and cooked the hamburger patties the following day. After consuming “a substantial portion” of one of the patties, Mr. Teague said he began to chew what he thought was bacon.

The suit states that “after steadily chewing,” he removed the object from his mouth and “what he discovered to his shock and utter horror was that the object he had chewed was not a piece of bacon. Instead, [he] found that a large glob of used, bloody, wound soaked Band-Aids had been placed in the center of the hamburger patties…”

Citing negligence, failure to follow state food safety rules, and other claims for relief, the Teagues are seeking compensatory and punitive damages of more than $25,000.

“We are not aware of the suit in question, though as a matter of policy, we do not discuss pending litigation,” BRAVE Public Relations representative Carly Dennis wrote on behalf of Fresh Market. “The safety and well-being of our customers and employees is always our top priority, and we take our product selection, quality assurance programs, and food preparation processes very seriously.”

The case is assigned to Judge Ruth Ann Franks.