Employee Spits in Sandwich... Customer Sues, Claiming Herpes Virus Infection

Saliva Seen Falling on CCTV Footage
Customer Claims "HSV-1 Infection"
Civil Lawsuit Filed Against Employee and Company

An employee at a major sandwich franchise in the United States has been charged with spitting into a customer's food. The affected customer claimed to have contracted the herpes virus after consuming the tainted food and has also filed a civil lawsuit.

Sandwich. Pixabay

According to the New York Post on June 22 (local time), Amanda Hendrix, the manager of an Arby's fast-food chain location in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, is accused of contaminating the food ordered by customer Jennica Church.

The report states that the incident occurred on the evening of March 28. At that time, Church ordered food through the drive-thru.

Church subsequently claimed that she became infected with the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) after eating the contaminated food and filed a lawsuit against Arby's.

Police began investigating after receiving a report from an Arby's employee that another staff member had spit into a customer's food.

Store CCTV footage obtained by the police shows Hendrix leaning her head over the food while handling meat that was to go into a sandwich. Police confirmed that saliva fell onto the sandwich.

Describing the situation after placing her order, Church said, "It took a little longer for the food to come out," and added, "I thought the employees were angry at me because it was almost closing time."

After reviewing the footage, police contacted Hendrix to question her. Authorities then applied for an arrest warrant on suspicion of intentionally introducing poison or contaminants with the intent to cause harm.

The Church family stated that after the incident, family members experienced significant anxiety over the possibility of contracting the virus. However, no additional cases of infection have been reported to date.

Church and her family have also filed a civil lawsuit against Hendrix, Arby's, and the related companies. The lawsuit claims that Church exhibited symptoms after the incident and was diagnosed with HSV-1.

Herpes is a common viral infection, and many people do not realize they are infected. HSV-1 is primarily associated with oral herpes. The virus is mainly transmitted through blisters, saliva, or direct contact with the skin around the mouth or genital area. It can also spread even when no symptoms are present, making it difficult to determine the exact route of infection.

There is no cure for herpes, but antiviral medications can help reduce pain and lower the risk of recurrence and transmission.

However, it has not yet been confirmed whether the contaminated food was the direct cause of Church's infection.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.