Burger King Spitting Suit: Worker Accused of Spitting on Burger
A federal lawsuit accusing a white Burger King worker of spitting in a black customer's food has been resolved after a 4-year battle.
Glenn Goodwin, a truck driver from Cleveland, filed a 2010 suit accusing a Burger King worker of spitting in his Whopper Jr. sandwich. Goodwin alleged that the employee had committed an act of racial discrimination. The incident occurred Nov. 11, 2008, in the Burger King restaurant at 6360 Sterrettania Road in Fairview Township, according to GoErie.com.
In the lawsuit, Goodwin claimed that he witnessed the employee turn around with sandwich. He then alleged that a manager came and stood next to the employee. Both workers had their back to Goodwin, who said he overheard the manager say "nice" before the employee turned back around and handed over the food.
After biting into the burger, Goodwin said he detected a "disgusting smell" and claimed that sandwich was "extra wet," according to the report. When Goodwin brought the burger back and questioned who had "spit" it in, other employees pointed to a worker named "Greg."
State police investigated the incident and discovered through DNA testing that saliva was found on the inside and outside of the burger, but the evidence was thrown out following the investigation, GoErie reported.
Goodwin later filed a Civil Rights lawsuit, accusing the employee of racial discrimination. Goodwin argued that he was the only minority customer in the restaurant at the time and was the only one who had any difficulty.
The suit was settled on Friday after both parties reached an agreement. Attorneys agreed that the case had been "resolved to the satisfaction of all parties."
A federal judge refused to dismiss the case in 2011, according to the Associated Press, but no evidence was found that the employee had been racially motivated when committing the act.
