Deris v. Finest Foods, Inc.

198 So. 2d 412, 1967 La. App. LEXIS 5499
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 1, 1967
DocketNo. 2602
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 198 So. 2d 412 (Deris v. Finest Foods, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Deris v. Finest Foods, Inc., 198 So. 2d 412, 1967 La. App. LEXIS 5499 (La. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

CHASEZ, Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the First City Court of New Orleans wherein the plaintiff, Mrs. Betty Deris, a femme sole, recovered the sum of $500.00 for damages found to have resulted from the presence of particles of glass in a banana split served to the plaintiff by the defendant, Finest Foods, Inc., d/b/a A & G Restaurants.

The defendant appeals solely from findings of fact resolved against it:

1. The finding of liability, and
2. That of quantum.

The contention is that in order to impose liability on the defendant, the Court must have decided that the plaintiff actually swallowed the glass in order to recover, and that the record does not. afford sufficient proof of this fact.

The facts appear clear to this Court. The plaintiff testified she had eaten a portion of her dessert when she bit into something hard. She swallowed a mouthful, assuming that what she had bitten into was a piece of ice, or a piece of nut-shell, or the like. The next mouthful pricked or scraped her tongue and she removed it from her mouth. She discovered a few small particles of glass. She summoned the waitress who had served her, who in turn summoned the manager of the restaurant. The manager came over to the plaintiff’s table, and from there he and the plaintiff went to a telephone to call her doctor. On the doctor’s recommendation to [414]*414her, the plaintiff obtained a piece of French bread at the restaurant and ate it.

Mrs. Deris testified as follows:

“Q. Then what happened ?
■ A. She brought the banana split and I guess I was half finished with it and I started to chew, I took a mouthful and started to chew it and something started to crack and I kept on chewing, thinking it was a piece of ice or a piece of pecan shell or something and I swallowed it. Then, the next mouthful I put in my mouth a piece of glass pierced my tongue, it pricked it, you know, and I got it out of the roof of my mouth and I took out about five (5) particles of glass.
Q. Were they large or small particles of glass?
A. I say one (1) or two (2) pieces were about the size of a half grain of rice.
Q. Just what did you do as a result of that?
A. I called the waitress, I told the waitress, she was standing not too far away, and then she called the Manager and he came over and I explained to him what happened.
Q. Is the Manager here in court today ?
Á. The Manager at A & G?
Q. Yes.
A. I think that’s the man over there but I can’t say definitely.”

(STIPULATION)

BY MR. EBERLE:

“It is stipulated between counsel that the Manager of the A & G Restaurant, Mr. William J. Langlois, is here present in court today.”
“Q. Now, let me go back just a little. Did you complain to the Manager first?
A. I complained to the waitress first. When she came over to the table I said, ‘there’s glass in this banana split’ and I showed it to her. She said, ‘wait a minute’ and then she went and got the Manager, she brought the Manager over to the table.
Q. That was the same girl that served you the banana split?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you show her the glass you took out of your mouth ?
A. Yes. I can remember he took the glass and he said, ‘What do you want to do?’ I said, T better call my doctor’ and then I came from the restaurant part to the cashier’s section where the telephone was and I called Doctor Brocato and I had to wait three (3) or four (4) minutes for him to answer the telephone and I was talking with the Manager and he was saying about his son being a doctor and I told him that was a good thing. I said, T have an appointment tomorrow with the doctor and if I wouldn’t be able to see him then I would be in a fix.’ I then spoke to the doctor and I told him what happened and he said to get some french bread and eat it and to see him tomorrow. I said, ‘I’m due there tomorrow. The Manager then brought me about a quarter of a piece of french bread and I began to eat it and then I went back to Cash Register Sales Company and I was terribly upset. I was on my way to school across the river, to Infant Jesus, to pick up my children and I was all upset and shaking. He told me to take [415]*415the nerve pill, which I had, and I had the french bread in one hand and a glass of water in the other hand. I took the nerve pill with the glass of water to calm myself down.
Q. Did you display the glass which you took out of your mouth to the manager ?
A. Yes, sir. I gave it to him.
Q. What statements were made by him at that time, if any ?
A. I was really upset. He said:
What do you want to do about it’?”

BY THE COURT:

Q. “He asked you what you wanted to do about it?”
A. “Yes, sir. I said, T better call my doctor’ and then he took me to the telephone to make the call.”

Mrs. Deris’ story is corroborated by a friend who was eating at the restaurant with her.

Mrs. Earline Moragne testified:

“O. Did you all go down there together?
A. No, sir, she went ahead. I couldn’t get away at the time. Then, I in turn, went down to the A & G and she was sitting at the counter when I got there and there wasn’t any room there at the time so I went over and sat at a table and I ordered a banana slipt from the wait-' ress and then by that time Betty came over and sat by me and when it came, she said, ‘Gee, that looks good, I think I’ll have one’, and she ordered a banana split.
Q. Was it the same waitress that had served you?
A. Yes, sir, with the banana split.
Was Mrs. Deris served with a banana split? p
Yes. >
Now, what, if anything, happened after that? o
A. I was eating mine and I had gotten about finished and Betty had her’s about half-way finished and she gave a funny face and I asked her what was wrong and she put a napkin to her mouth and when she did she took glass, out of her mouth, which I saw. She was very disturbed then because she felt she had swallowed a piece.
Q. Would you describe the glass that came out of her mouth? Was it large or small pieces ?
A. I would say they were small pieces, very small pieces.
Q. Approximately, how many would you estimate there were?
A. That’s hard to say because it has been so long. There were a couple of pieces I know but I really can’t tell you how many.
Q. Where did you see them ?
A. In her hand.

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198 So. 2d 412, 1967 La. App. LEXIS 5499, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/deris-v-finest-foods-inc-lactapp-1967.