Anishi Spencer has filed a liability lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court on Wednesday against the fast-food giant McDonald’s. She is seeking $50,000 in damages for negligence.
Spencer alleges her 2-year-old son discovered a used condom on the play area floor of a Chicago, Illinois McDonald’s chain. Later, the child coughed up pieces of rubber and required medical treatment.
The lawsuit accuses McDonald’s Corporate and the Illinois restaurant for failing to properly clean and remove potentially hazardous debris from the play area used by children. Spencer was also upset the chain had not used surveillance to expose any “deviant activities” transpiring on the grounds.
Spencer visited the Kezie Avenue chain in Chicago on February 4, 2012 with her two toddler sons Jonathan, 3, and Jacquel, 2. After Jacquel found the prophylactic and choked up rubber pieces, both children were treated at a local hospital.
Toddlers are notorious for putting just about anything they find in their mouths. Back in December 2011 in Jacksonville, Florida, children in a day care group were playing in the Robert F. Kennedy Community Center and Park.
Tiesha Sanders’ 3-year-old daughter was playing near a slide when she found a used condom and put it into her mouth.
Sanders scooped up her child, washed out her mouth with water, and contacted the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). She took her daughter to the emergency room at the Baptist Medical Center.
The condom later tested positive for gonorrhea . The child’s parents spent a year agonizing over the possible sexually transmitted diseases she could have contracted, even after acquiring immediate medical treatment.
The toddler endured a series of invasive rectal, vaginal, and throat exams as well as blood screenings every four months. Diseases like HIV can take up to a year to emerge.
Sanders planned on filing a lawsuit against the Jacksonville Urban League, citing concern and prevention over exposure to the same danger to other children. The incident was never reported to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) nor was a police report filed.
Leading up to her final check up, the girl continued to test negative for STDs.
Perhaps the best advice under these circumstances is prevention. Frequently remind your investigative toddlers not to put everything they find in their mouths.
[Image via Shutterstock ]
