Taco Bell manager in Dallas poured boiling water on customers, lawsuit alleges

DALLAS — A lawsuit filed against Taco Bell alleges that a Dallas store manager poured boiled water over two customers after they complained about an incorrect order.

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According to the lawsuit, filed July 13 in the 14th Judicial District Court in Dallas County, customers Brittany Davis and a minor identified in court documents as C.T., allege that Taco Bell did not properly train or vet its employees, according to The Dallas Morning News. The 19-page lawsuit lists Taco Bell and its parent company, Yum! Brands, local franchisee North Texas Bells and two employees who are not identified by name and seeks more than $1 million in damages.

The lawsuit, filed by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump and attorney Paul Grinke, alleges that Taco Bell and its employees displayed gross negligence and hiring negligence, USA Today reported.

The incident occurred on June 17 after Davis and C.T. went through the Taco Bell drive-thru and received their $31 order wrong three times, the lawsuit states.

The two went into the restaurant to resolve the order, and Crump said they were locked inside the restaurant by employees, KXXV-TV reported.

The alleged attack occurred after Davis spoke with employees for about 10 minutes, the lawsuit states.

“Instead of simply correcting the order, a Taco Bell employee threatened to fight C.T., a minor, and the Taco Bell store manager violently and without warning poured a bucket of boiling water over C.T.’s and Brittany’s heads, shoulders, breasts and legs, causing excruciating second- and third-degree burns on their bodies,” the lawsuit states.

A 2½-minute video released by the plaintiffs’ attorneys, shows 12 different camera angles in and outside the restaurant, the Morning News reported. The video shows Davis and C.T. standing at the counter.

As Davis speaks with a woman behind the cash register, an employee in the kitchen grabs a pitcher and fills it with water, according to the video. The employee briefly sets the pitcher on a counter as steam rises from it. Then the employee picks up the pitcher and walks to the front counter, throwing the water toward Davis and C.T., according to the video.

In a statement Saturday, Taco Bell said the company takes the “safety and the wellbeing of team members and customers seriously.” The company said it was in contact with the franchise owner and operator of the location but that it could not comment on any specifics about the lawsuit.

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