NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) – A Tiverton man has filed a lawsuit against a sausage maker and distributor, claiming he found a 1-inch piece of a hypodermic needle in an Italian sausage he was eating three years ago.
Anthony Ramos’ lawsuit names Johnsonville Sausage, the Johnsonville, Wis. company that produced and packaged the sausage. It also names the BJs Wholesale Club store in Fall River, Mass. that sold it. It claims the companies were negligent in packaging, inspecting and selling the meat.
The suit was filed July 1 in Newport County Superior Court, the Newport Daily News reported Thursday. Ramos seeks unspecified damages.
Ramos discovered the fragment when it stuck his cheek while he was eating the sausage at a backyard barbecue with his family on July 6, 2000. The piece was found embedded in the meat, Ramos claimed.
“It was very scary for him,” said his attorney, Louis Pulner. “He was afraid of AIDS, he was afraid of rabies, and he was afraid of tetanus.”
The attorney said Ramos was tested for various diseases.
BJs spokeswoman Nancy Sodano said the company reacted to the claim at the time by removing all Johnsonville packaged sausages from its stores. BJs also asked Johnsonville to investigate, Sodano said.
Johnsonville released a statement. It read: “While the particular experience of this customer is unfortunate, we prefer to resolve the situation through appropriate channels and not play it out in the news media.”
Pulner said the suit was delayed in filing, because his client attempted to resolve the matter outside of court.
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