BOSTON — Chipotle Mexican Grill might have saved itself from a pesky lawsuit had employees at the chain’s Fall River, Massachusetts, restaurant handled a gluten-allergic woman’s order a little more deftly.
Kristen Russell claims in a recently filed disability discrimination action that she was downright humiliated by employees when she tried to place an order at the Newton Street Chipotle on May 28, 2022.
“She was basically treated like a second-class citizen,” says Winchester, Massachusetts, attorney Laurel J. Francoeur, who represents the plaintiff.
Russell, a resident of Somerset, Massachusetts, suffers from a gluten allergy, which, apart from her diet, substantially affects her respiratory and circulatory system.
“It’s an actual allergy to wheat; it’s not Celiac Disease,” Francoeur says.
“Plaintiff will suffer adverse health consequences if she ingests gluten, including but not limited to abdominal pain and cramping, diarrhea, hives, vomiting, nausea, difficulty breathing and possibly death,” Russell alleges in her lawsuit.
Russell says she was exceedingly careful to advise the staff at the Fall River Chipotle of her allergy whenever she placed an order for a meal. Anytime she ordered prior to May 28, 2022, the staff had been completely accommodating to her allergy, implementing various protocols that included wiping the counter, washing their hands, and changing their gloves for the preparation of her order, she claims.
According to Russell, the only Chipotle menu...
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