The biggest danger when ordering a pizza used to be that a disgruntled employee would spit into your pie. Now, apparently you can get a racial epithet thrown at you, to go along with your dinner.
On January 6, Minhee Cho stopped by a local Papa John’s to get a pizza. To her surprise, when she checked her receipt, she saw that her customer name was written as “lady chinky eyes,” reports ABC. Cho quickly tweeted an image of the Papa John’s racist receipt and the story went viral.
Papa John's took swift action and apologized, adding that the offending employee was going to be terminated, reports ABC. But while this story was resolved mostly likely with advice from a NYC employment lawyer, you may be wondering if Minhee Cho would be able to resolve her complaint with a New York City personal injury lawyer as well.
Unfortunately, as offensive as the receipt may have been, Cho probably does not have a personal injury claim that can win her any damages.
For example, a single racist receipt probably does not rise to the level of discrimination or harassment. Companies may be held liable for race discrimination or harassment against customers, but the offensive actions usually have to be pretty severe before someone would be able to collect damages.
Additionally, Minhee Cho would probably have a hard time convincing a jury she suffered severe emotional distress due to the stupid racist comment.
Not all offensive conduct leads to legal liability. In the case of the Papa John's racist receipt, the offending employee was fired. But this move was probably more of a public relations maneuver than a legal maneuver.
Related Resources:
- Papa John's apologizes for receipt's racial slur (CNN)
- Injuries A to Z (FindLaw)
- Cop Sues Deli for Pubic Hair in Sandwich (FindLaw's Philadelphia Personal Injury Law Blog)
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