The following was recieved by me:

17/04/03

p r e s s c u t t i n g n/a

,

AP

,

USA

Fat Man Sues McDonald's Over Non-Hire

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - A federal judge has refused to dismiss a
lawsuit against McDonald's, filed by a New Haven man who claims
he was not hired because he is overweight.

Joseph Connor had filed the lawsuit last year against the
fast food chain, claiming that it discriminated against him, in
violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the
Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act.

Connor, who weighs 420 pounds, claims that McDonald's
violated the laws when it regarded him as morbidly obese and
refused to hire him based on that perception.

Further, he alleges that his obesity is a disability, and the
restaurant chain violated the CFEPA by deliberately not hiring
him.

U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill concluded that Connor
must be given the opportunity to prove that he is protected under
the law.

McDonald's had argued that obesity, except in special cases
where the obesity is due to a physiological disorder, is not a
"physical impairment" within the meaning of the ADA.

"The judge' decision is a very important one," Attorney Gary
Phelan, who is representing Connor, said Wednesday. "This is the
first time a Connecticut court is saying that obesity may be a
disability under state discrimination law."

Attorney Lawrence Peikes, who is representing McDonald's
Corp., said the judges decision was not on the merits of the
case.

"It in no way indicates how the judge views the case
factually," Peikes said. "McDonald's is confident there is no
merit to the claims and looks forward to having the matter
resolved."


McDonalds and lawsuits...the never ending story ?

Yeah, gee, imagine, a multi-billion dollar corporation being targeted for lawsuits. I'm sure all have merit, right? :rolleyes:

hmmmm ... 420 pounds is pretty big

might be a bit cramped in the kitchen with other workers (those places generally are small. I don't know what's legal or if it's descrimination but what if an 8' tall guy wanted a job there and didn't get hired . He could say it was descrimination but the work environment is a certain size ... are they supposed to enlarge the work environment to fit every conceivable sized person

Can the guy sue the "Mini" car company for not making a car he can drive

In a way I can see how someone that big will decrease work effieciency amonst the whole kitchen staff. I don't know if it's descrimination or not but I would think the person would rather spent his energy and effort on trying to tackle the weight issue (even with medical supervision and advice if he had some problem that made him store fat ) than going through the trouble and long drawn out effort of a law suit

I don't know if it's descrimination or not but I would think the person would rather spent his energy and effort on trying to tackle the weight issue (even with medical supervision and advice if he had some problem that made him store fat ) than going through the trouble and long drawn out effort of a law suit


Which, is of course, the key, IMHO.
IMHO, it isn't about wanting to work, it's about making a fortune at McDonald's expense, and is done without expending any effort,
other than securing a lawyer who could show promise of winning.
I will guess that the lawyers were lined up to defend him.
I heard not long ago about a term, maybe mouse will help me out, about bringing about legislation that will attach penalties to the people who sue, if it's determined to be *frivolous*
I think it only appropriate that if people are going to sue in this context, they should have something at stake, too.

... are they supposed to enlarge the work environment to fit every conceivable sized person

I'm sure they would say "yes" just as most places have been equipped to handle the needs of those in wheelchairs.

One other "weight" reason why they may not have hired him is because image is everything.

McD's is in the business of selling fast food. It is constantly battling people blaming them for everything, including making them fat. Having a 420 lb. guy asking "Would you like to supersize your meal?" probably would not make a good first impression on customers, thus reinforcing the negative image the media has given to McDonald's over such nonsense as that guy who sued McD's for making him overweight.

Next time you go to a McDonald's... take a look at the employees. I'll bet you don't see very many "obese" people working for them. Some may be a little overweight, but not excessively overweight.

As for being a disability... perhaps... but in many cases it is most likely a self-inflicted condition. Certainly companies should not be forced to make changes to accomodate those suffering from self-inflicted conditions.

Come to think of it, I don't see any obese folks working in positions that deal directly with the general population (in a position of personal contact). Hmmmm.......

I believe Robert is right. And I think that there is a chance that this dude is being discriminated against.

Speaking of Maccas, Planet Feedback has some hilarious customer complaints about this joint.

One person has been eating there for the past 6 years during which time everything has been crap. But s/he can't stop going because (paraphrasing) "McDs is a big part of American life and it is hard to NOT eat there".

Then there's someone who found, in a CHICKEN burger, a vein, and is really disgusted (or "discusted", as many of them say). *L*

And the usual type complaining just to try to score a free cheeseburger (maybe I should post this as a tip in the Frugal Living forum).

And another one:

30/04/03

p r e s s c u t t i n g n/a

,

AP

,

USA

Michigan Man Sues McDonald's for $25,000

DETROIT - A man is suing fast-food giant McDonald's after
allegedly biting into a piece of already chewed gum in a salad.

In a lawsuit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court, Joseph
Taylor says the Feb. 26 incident has caused him "mental anguish,
humiliation, embarrassment, and pain and suffering and loss of
appetite." He has sought medical attention, according to the
lawsuit.

Taylor also said he fears he may have contracted AIDS or
hepatitis, the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday.

The assistant manager of the restaurant, Amit Kumar, said
McDonald's insurance company is handling the lawsuit.

The lawsuit states Taylor was eating a salad at a McDonald's
on the Wayne State University campus when he "discovered a
foreign object in his mouth that had already been chewed by
someone else." He is seeking damages of more than $25,000.

The last time I ate at McD's was a couple years ago; I had just gone lacto-ovo and I ordered a breakfast biscuit with just egg and cheese. Then I bit into a skanky, rotten, black piece of cooked onion. Eew, I can still remember how gross it tasted.

:spew:

I don't believe onions are an ingredient in any of their breakfast items! It must've gotten scraped into my egg off a poorly-cleaned grill.

Goodbye fast food, forever! I wasn't that into it anyway.

But my main point is: I definitely suffered some "mental anguish" over that disgusting incident, but it didn't occur to me to sue. Please! Life is messy and accidents happen. I hate whiny people who freak out and feel "owed" for everything.

Sunnyk: I absolutely agree on this mental anguish nonsense some folks try to get away with via a lawsuit over something trivial. I once found a booger in a bottle of beer. I simply called up Molson's and let them know they had some dickhead working for them. Molson's gave me a case of 24 beer. I suppose I could have sued for a bunch of money claiming "mental anguish". But I refuse to lower myself to the same level as those "you-owe-me-a-living-because-you-made-a-mistake" losers.

What if you had swallowed the booger? Cha-ching! :)

Strix... I actually caught it in my mouth, spit it out and that's how I knew what it was. Yeah, I know... it totally grossed me out too. But I didn't think it was Molson's fault... just one of their employees.

Molson's apologized and even asked me what I wanted. I said it'd be nice they replaced the beer (the single beer). They offered me a case. I said thanks.

A few weeks later they called me and apologized again, and said they had identified the problem and the employee was terminated. I was very happy with how Molson's handled it.

Eeeeew! You have cooties!

That second call was most likely damage control. I'm sure they were worried you might want to sue.
I think they handled it well too. What a jerk that employee.

eww eww eww

I'm not going to keep reading this thread.

*runs off*

Marie: Hehehe, that was about 15 years ago. Not much you can do, except get over it and move on with your life. Initially gross... of course. But I certainly had no long-lasting mental anguish requiring oodles of money to maker it better.

Okay... I'm reading...

again... eww!

I don't think I would have wanted any money.. whatever I bought with the money would have only reminded me of what happened. That's something I'd want to try to forget.

The thought of a booger in a beer is disgusting (I'm dry-retching right now)..... you should write to Planet Feedback and ask for a B-double truckload of beer kegs every month in compensation.

my grandmother once found a rat in her pre-sliced loaf of white bread--the rat was very neatly sliced up with the bread. yucko!!! i would never be the same if i poured a booger into my mouth--i would feel tainted forever!!

Why am I reading this stuff?!

I once bought a bottle of passionfruit sauce. Glass bottle, lovely clear yellow liquid with passionfruit seeds floating through it....til I had a close look & suspended in the middle was a cockroach. Never seen passionfruit in the same way since. I got a refund on the bottle from the store but always wonder what they did with it.

A couple of months ago at the local supermarket I witnessed a woman return a tray of some sort of meat..... it had a razor in it.

I don't know what the supermarket did about it (if anything), and I don't care, as I don't buy meat. The funny thing is there are worse things in meat that people happily consume..... having their stomach lining sliced open is the least of their worries.

Originally posted by Marie
Why am I reading this stuff?!
Because like the rest of us you have a morbid curiosity to read those things that gross you out. :D