Lawsuit: Popeyes' lack of knives caused man to choke on chicken

UPDATE: Shortly after the news of the lawsuit broke, Newton said he was dropping his lawsuit after receiving "extreme comments" directed at him and his family. He told The Huffington Post, "I continue to believe that the facts demonstrate an unsafe condition to the public that could easily be solved by the responsible parties at very little cost."

Read the original story below.

A Mississippi attorney has sued Popeyes, claiming that the restaurant chain’s lack of plastic knives caused him to choke on a piece of fried chicken.

Paul Newton, Jr. claims the incident happened Nov. 1, 2015, according to court documents reviewed by WLOX. Newton ordered from the drive-thru of a Gulfport Popeyes location and said his meal came with napkins, salt and pepper and a spork.

Because Popeyes did not include a plastic knife with his meal, Newton claims he was forced to eat the chicken breast by holding it in his hands and ripping the meat off with his teeth. While consuming the chicken in this manner, he choked and required emergency surgery.

Newton is suing Popeyes for medical expenses, pain and suffering and punitive damages. He also wants Popeyes to be required to serve plastic knives with its drive-thru orders to "cut their purchased food orders into appropriate portions."

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