Dallas Taco Bell worker throws boiling water at customer

Dallas Taco Bell worker throws boiling water at customer
Two Dallas women are seeking $1 million in damages from Taco Bell after a store manager poured boiling water on them causing permanent skin damage and a lifelong change to their appearance, according to a new lawsuit.
One section of the lawsuit says that C.T.'s facial injuries are so severe her mother, Kira, has removed all of the mirrors from their home because her daughter can't 'bear to see her own face.'Show more

The incident occurred on June 17 at the Taco Bell location in the 11800 block of Abrams Road, just off of Interstate 635, in northeastern Dallas.

The lawsuit was filed on July 13. The pair are being represented in the lawsuit by high-profile civil rights lawyers, Ben Crump and Paul Grinke.

The lawsuit names the plaintiffs as Brittany Davis and her niece, named only as C.T., 16, in documents.
The video shows an employee on a phone and filling up a bucket full of water in the restaurant's kitchen. She walks from the kitchen to the counter-area, where she apparently flings the water at the two women.

The employee then marches back to the kitchen and fills the bucket again before throwing more water at the two.

Crump said in a statement that Davis and her niece were locked in the restaurant by staff as they tried to resolve an issue with the order. The pair say they received the wrong order three times and complained. The order was worth $30.
The plaintiffs were going through the drive-thru when the dispute began, but Davis went inside with her niece after the order came back wrong.

Once inside, they allege that one employee challenged the minor to a fight.

The manager wasn't involved in the original discussions, which had gone on for around 10 minutes. She only became involved when she went to get the scalding water, according to documents.
The two women were left 'wondering why the employees could not simply go back and prepare the food that they had paid for. The employees refused to do so and became combative,' the lawsuit states.

Davis and her niece were both hit in the face and chest with the water soaking into their clothes. They attempted to leave the restaurant, but were locked in.

The manager went to the back again to get more water, but the pair managed to escape to their car where family members were waiting and were not hit a second time. They then managed to unlock the door.

'As this family was leaving the parking lot, a Taco Bell employee came outside the front door, laughing, clapping, and taunting the family,' the lawsuit reads. 'The burns on her face will cause discoloring and scarring that will forever impact her self-image.'

Another section of the filing reads: 'Not only did Brittany and C.T. suffer physical trauma because of the burns but they will now live with the psychological trauma that comes with an attack like this.

'The Taco Bell store manager violently and without warning poured a bucket of boiling water over C.T.’s and Brittany’s heads, shoulders, breasts and legs, causing excruciating second and third degree burns on their body.'

Crump alleges that one of the employees had a gun under his shirt. One of the employees claims to have been assaulted by one of the victims.

Paul Grinke, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, told NBC News: 'It is hard to imagine a scenario where it would be OK to pour scalding water all over a female minor.'

As the two victims were driven to the hospital, Davis suffered a seizure and was later transferred by helicopter to a specialized burn unit. Lawyers say that Davis suffered 10 seizures in total due to the incident, causing 'significant' brain injury.

'Our hearts break for these two victims whose lives are forever changed because of the horrific and damaging actions by the Taco Bell manager and the larger entities that failed to protect (them),' lawyer Ben Crump said.

Taco Bell responded, saying: 'We take the safety and wellbeing of team members and customers seriously. Taco Bell is in contact with the franchise owner and operator of this restaurant on this matter.'

Two employees, Taco Bell's parent company Yum! Brands, and the Taco Bell restaurant #22872, are named in the lawsuit.

No criminal arrests have been made but the case has been referred to a grand jury by the Dallas Police Department.