A California man is suing Heinekin and The Kroger Co. after he allegedly found two dead geckos in a beer that he had purchased at a local grocery store.
George Toubbeh says he suffered severe abdominal pain in August of 2015 after drinking a Heineken he bought from a Ralphs, a chain owned by Kroger. According to his lawsuit, the beer had a foul taste and caused him to immediately experience abdominal pain and to begin vomiting. His daughter then inspected the beer and found two dead juvenile leopard geckos at the bottom of the can.
"When discovered, the geckos had not been decomposed at all and were likely alive when the beer was poured and sealed into the cans in the bottling and/or canning facility," the lawsuit says.
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Following the incident, Toubbeh went to an emergency room where he was prescribed Xanax, a sedative and Zofran to assist with his symptoms. Over the next few weeks, he missed work as he continued to suffer from stomach pain, emotional distress and anxiety.
Heineken refuted the man’s story in a statement, saying that the company “holds the safety and integrity of the products we import to the highest standards. We have investigated this isolated claim, and based on a number of factors, we confidently believe there is no merit to this claim.”
Toubbeh is seeking unspecified general damages, medical expenses, lost earnings and the cost of the lawsuit.
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