A San Jose neurologist is suing a Los Gatos Thai restaurant, alleging that an appetizer she was served at the restaurant was spicy enough to cause her "permanent" internal damage.
The lawsuit, levied by Harjasleen Walia against Coup de Thai restaurant, was filed in July of last year and will go before a jury next year, according to Silicon Valley.
"She incurred permanent injuries and will forever be damaged," the lawsuit alleges.
Walia, a neurologist at HeadacheAwayMD Brain & Spine Center, visited the North Santa Cruz Avenue restaurant for dinner with a friend in the summer of 2021. The spicy appetizer, "Dragon Balls", is a chicken-based dish that Walia claims caused chemical burns to her esophagus and vocal chords, making it "unfit for human consumption".
"Spicy chicken ball fried with mint, shallot, green onion, cilantro, kaffir lime leaves, chili, and rice powder, served hot," reads the appetizer's description on the restaurant's website.
Walia also allegedly asked her server if the dish could be moderated, asking for it to be "made with less spice as she does not tolerate spicy foods."
"A new employee who prepared the dish made an error and added additional peppers, rather than reducing them as requested," the lawsuit states.
Walia describes the aftermath of eating the appetizer as incredibly painful, claiming that she "felt her entire mouth, the roof of her mouth, her tongue, her throat and her nose burn like fire."
Walia and her friend then asked for yogurt or some kind of milk product following her reaction to the spice, but "no milk, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream or other dairy product was provided or offered."
A doctor from the National Capital Poison Center in Washington, D.C. told siliconvalley.com that Thai chilis are capable of causing symptoms as extreme as nausea and heartburn. However, they are not associated with permanent tissue damage," said Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor.
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