'Humiliated' Customer Sues Fast-Food Giant

All Curtis Brooner wanted was to wash his hands—and says he got humiliation, an injury, and an hour in a stinky bathroom. Now the Portland man who claims he was stuck in a Burger King bathroom for over an hour in December is suing the fast food giant, KATU reports. "It wasn't a pleasant experience for him and he spent an hour in the restaurant after just gaining his composure," says his lawyer, Michael Fuller. According to the suit, Brooner entered a Portland Burger King on Dec. 15 and got stuck in the restroom when the lock apparently failed. So he called the phone number on his receipt, and employees slid a fly swatter beneath the door for him to pry open the lock—which appeared damaged from other attempts to jimmy it, per the Oregonian.

The 50-year-old says he cut his hand squeezing the swatter between the door and the door frame while employees and customers laughed at him on the other side. Finally, a locksmith came and got him out. "To make things right, the Burger King manager offered him free food for the rest of his life should he come into the restaurant," says Fuller. And Brooner says he was comped for meals until a regional manager undid the deal a few weeks later. Now Brooner and his attorney figure he'll live to 72—"about 5 years less than average based on his frequent consumption of cheeseburgers"—so with a weekly burger meal costing $7.89 over two years, that's $9,026.16. Which is the amount he's suing for. "I think we will reach a fair settlement," says Fuller. (Meanwhile, one unhappy dad has sued McDonald's over happy meals.)