Woman sues Italian restaurant over 'dangerous' lasagne that left her burned

The woman claims the restaurant is guilty of negligence and "acts of tortious conduct"

Chelsea Ritschel
Monday 09 April 2018 17:19 BST
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The woman claims the restaurant was negligent serving food that hot (Stock)
The woman claims the restaurant was negligent serving food that hot (Stock)

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A woman is suing an Italian restaurant for £35,396 ($50,000) in damages plus lawyer fees after her lunch of lasagne left her badly burned and unable to work.

Theresa Thomas was dining at Osteria Ottimo Ristorante in Orland Park, Illinois, when the incident involving “piping hot” marinara sauce occurred during a late lunch with her husband.

Just as Thomas was about to dig in to her lasagne with her fork, the red sauce shot out of the dish and landed on her left hand, leaving her with severe burns.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the lawsuit filed on April 3 2018 states Thomas “placed her left hand in her lap, picked up a fork with her right hand and touched the tower of layered pasta, meat, cheese and marinara sauce with the fork.”

But just moments after this sequence of events, the “acts of tortious conduct” began.

“Upon contact with the fork, and without warning, piping hot marinara sauce shot from the lasagne and onto Theresa’s left hand, scalding the skin and causing a large burn,” Thomas’ attorney, David SPetrich, wrote in the lawsuit.

If that weren’t traumatic enough, since the incident, Thomas has suffered “great physical pain and mental anguish,” according to the lawsuit, which has left her unable to return to work.

Thomas also sustained expensive medical bills from the burn - which she claims are the result of the restaurant’s negligence.

According to the lawsuit, Thomas contends that Osteria Ottimo Ristorante was careless or negligent in preparing such hot and “dangerous” food, failing to prepare cooler food - and for failing to warn Thomas and other customers of the possibility of marinara sauce shooting from the dish.

The restaurant's lasagne, which happens to be sold just once a week, on “Lasagne Night” costs £10.61 ($14.99) and no other customers have reported issues regarding the “legendary” lasagne’s temperature on Yelp - where the restaurant has four stars.

“Just one complaint... you can only get their wonderful lasagne on Thursdays…” wrote one customer.

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