A man in Dearborn, Michigan has filed a lawsuit against Little Caesars, he’s seeking a class-action status and $100 million in damages.
According to the lawsuit, Mohamad Bazzi accidentally ate a portion of a pepperoni pizza after he was led to believe it consisted of halal meat. Bazzi is a Muslim, and eating pork is against his religion.
Little Caesars issued the following statement regarding the lawsuit:
"Little Caesars cherishes our customers from all religions and cultures, and the communities we serve are very important to us. While we can’t comment on pending litigation, we take this claim very seriously. At this time, we believe it is without merit."
The lawsuit was filed on the eve of Ramadan — the Muslim holy month which starts Friday evening. During Ramadan Muslims that observe the holiday are not allowed to eat from sunrise to sundown. Pork, however, is strictly forbidden by Islamic law at all times.
Bazzi initially filed a police report in March.
He returned to the same store this week, according to the lawsuit, seeking to purchase a halal pepperoni pizza again.
The lawsuit explains that Bazzi was again given a regular pepperoni pizza, and explains that when he confronted the manager he was told that he asked for the pepperoni pizza and requested a halal sticker be placed on it.
Halal meat has been at the center of high-priced lawsuits in the past. Several years ago McDonald’s Corp. stopped carrying Chicken McNuggets and McChicken sandwiches that had been advertised as halal — the move came two years after a lawsuit with another Dearborn man who ended up settling out of court for $700,000.
