HOUSTON – A customer who previously alleged finding a foreign object embedded inside a piece of chicken purchased from a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant in Southwest Houston has now filed a lawsuit against the restaurant chain, its parent company, a local franchisee and other defendants.

The lawsuit follows a July 27 visit to the restaurant by Dr. Candice Matthews and Quanell X, who called for a thorough investigation after meeting with management. At the time, they urged Popeyes to temporarily stop serving chicken at the location while the customer’s allegations were investigated and requested that law enforcement assign a detective to investigate the claims.

According to the petition, filed Monday in Harris County District Court, plaintiffs Justin Howard and Danielle McKinnon allege they purchased chicken on July 25 from the Popeyes restaurant at 7416 South Sam Houston Parkway West. The lawsuit claims Howard bit into a piece of chicken and discovered what appeared to be a foreign object embedded inside the food.

The petition alleges the discovery caused the couple to stop eating immediately and left them physically nauseated and concerned they may have already consumed contaminated food. The lawsuit further alleges they feared possible exposure to bacteria, viruses and other contaminants because they did not know what the object was or how long it had been in contact with the food.

The plaintiffs also allege they returned to the restaurant after the incident, where employees laughed at them and initially attempted to replace the chicken rather than issue a refund. According to the petition, a refund was provided only after the customers persisted.

The suit names Restaurant Brands International Inc., Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc., AAMANA Businesses Inc., and John Does 1-10 as defendants. It asserts claims including negligence, gross negligence, negligent hiring and supervision, strict products liability, breach of implied warranties and violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The plaintiffs seek damages in excess of $1.5 million and have requested a jury trial.

The allegations contained in the lawsuit are claims made by the plaintiffs. The court has not determined the merits of those claims, and the defendants will have the opportunity to respond through the legal process.