Connecticut woman claims she found severed finger in salad at Chopt restaurant

A Connecticut woman sued the fast-casual restaurant chain Chopt on Monday after she says her salad was adulterated with part of a human finger she inadvertently chewed on.

Allison Cozzi, of Greenwich, alleged that in April of this year, she was served a salad at the restaurant's Mount Kisco location that contained a severed portion of a human finger. According to her lawsuit, a manager had chopped off part of their finger earlier in the day while preparing arugula.

The manager left to seek medical care, but "the contaminated arugula was left on the service line and served to customers," the lawsuit states.

Then, the lawsuit recounts, when Cozzi "was eating the salad, she realized that she was chewing on a portion of a human finger that had been mixed in to, and made a part of, the salad."

A representative for Chopt did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Journal News, part of the USA TODAY Network.

The lawsuit, filed with state Supreme Court in Westchester, says Cozzi suffered "severe and serious personal injuries including: shock; panic attacks; migraine and the exacerbation of migraine; cognitive impairment; traumatic stress and anxiety, nausea, vomiting, dizziness; and neck and shoulder pain."

Cozzi is seeking unspecified monetary damages.

An investigation number identified in the lawsuit corresponds with a case that was opened by the Westchester County Department of Health against the Mount Kisco Chopt location. Data published by the department indicates that the case resulted in a $900 civil penalty.

An inspection report from the health department shows that several weeks after the incident, a health inspector visited the Chopt location and spoke with the manager at issue. The manager said staff "did not realize the arugula was contaminated with human blood and a finger tip," inspector Allison Hopper wrote.

Hopper instructed Chopt staff on the proper disposal of contaminated food. Despite legal requirements, the establishment did not report the incident to the county health department, which only learned of it after a complaint from Cozzi.

Cozzi does not want to comment further, her lawyer said Monday.

Asher Stockler is a reporter for The Journal News and the USA Today Network New York. You can send him an email at [email protected]. Reach him securely: [email protected].