Dunkin’ customer covered in poop when ‘problem’ toilet explodes, Florida lawsuit says
A customer of a Florida Dunkin’ is accusing the company of negligence after he says a toilet in the store’s men’s bathroom exploded, a lawsuit says.
The lawsuit, filed in Orange County district court on Jan. 3, is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 for “severe and long-term injuries” and “emotional and mental distress” from a man’s visit to one of the coffee chain’s Winter Park locations a year ago.
“The incident described in the complaint is obviously a shocking, nightmarish scenario, which is hard to even imagine,” Scott Spradley, an attorney representing the man, told McClatchy News in an email.
McClatchy News reached out to Dunkin’, based in Canton, Massachusetts, and was waiting for a response.
On Jan. 6, 2022, the Flagler County resident went into the Dunkin’ men’s room and had just used one of the toilets when there was an “explosion,” the lawsuit says.
“The explosion resulted in (the man), and the interior of the room itself, being covered with debris, including human feces and urine,” the lawsuit says.
The man, covered in poop, says he walked out of the bathroom for help from employees when they told him they were aware of the “problem with the toilet,” according to the lawsuit.
The employees told the man there had been prior incidents involving the toilet, but the lawsuit did not elaborate.
The lawsuit alleges the man needed “mental health care and counseling as a direct result of the trauma experienced in the restroom” and from “the continuing trauma following the event.”
“(My client) continues to suffer the mental and emotional effects of the incident and receives treatment for his ailments, which include PTSD-like symptoms,” Spradley said.
The man says Dunkin’ was negligent when employees failed to maintain the safety of the men’s restroom and failed to alert customers of the problem toilet, according to the lawsuit.
He is seeking financial compensation “in excess of $50,000, plus prejudgment interest, post judgment interest, and (the man’s) costs of action,” the lawsuit says.
“We are hopeful that the lawsuit will result in (my client) being justly compensated for his injuries, even though the imagery will never be forgotten,” Spradley said.
Winter Park is about 5 miles north of downtown Orlando.
This story was originally published January 4, 2024 at 1:05 PM with the headline "Dunkin’ customer covered in poop when ‘problem’ toilet explodes, Florida lawsuit says."
