A California man is suing Heineken because he says he became “violently ill” after drinking beer that he later discovered had two dead baby geckos inside of it.
George Toubbeh, 49, claims he bought the 24-ounce can of beer from a Ralph’s grocery store chain location two years ago. According to the suit, the man noticed that the beer had a “foul” taste. After consuming it, he immediately suffered severe abdominal pain followed by vomiting.
Toubbeh’s daughter examined the can and discovered the two geckos inside of it. Tests from a zoologist confirmed that they were leopard geckos, which is a species not native to the U.S. but commonly sold as a pet.
The suit speculates that because the geckos had not decomposed, the baby reptiles were alive when the beer was poured into the can.
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Up to two days after he ingested the beer and was examined at the emergency room, Toubbeh was still experiencing “severe stomach pains and cramps, hyperactive bowel movements, and nearly complete loss of appetite,” sending him to urgent care.
The suit added that Toubbeh now suffers from extreme anxiety and PTSD as a result of the incident, as well as having missed several weeks of work and incurring medical costs.
Toubbeh is also naming Kroger (the parent company of Ralph’s) and an unnamed beer distributor in the suit, seeking an undetermined amount of damages for strict liability, breach of warranty, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Denise Esparza, a paralegal with Toubbeh’s attorney’s law firm, told Global News that the suit was filed after a resolution could not be reached between the complainant and the companies named.
Heineken has denied that the incident ever happened.
In a statement, they said, “We have investigated this isolated claim, and based on a number of factors, we confidently believe there is no merit to this claim.”
John Montevideo, Toubbeh’s attorney, told the LA Times that they independently examined the can of beer and believe the man’s claims are credible.
“We feel the action is meritorious and viable,” said Montevideo.
Kroger has not responded to Global News’ request for comment as of the time of publication.