DEARBORN – A Muslim man who ordered a pizza from a Little Caesars in Dearborn has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the pizza chain, alleging that the pizza he was sold contained pork even though it was advertised otherwise.
The suit, which was filed by Mohamad Bazzi, alleges that the pizza he ordered March 20 from a Little Caesars in Dearborn was labeled as “halal,” which means it meets Islamic food consumption standards.
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The suit states that the pizza he received and consumed contained pork, which is a meat not considered halal in Islamic law.
Bazzi’s attorney alleges that the sale was a violation of the “Wayne County Halal and Kosher Anti-Fraud and Truth-In-Labeling Ordinance.”
He further states that the public has a right to know about the “fraud that is being perpetrated in Dearborn, Michigan, the community with the highest concentrations of Muslims in North America.”
In the suit, Bazzi’s attorney says that a “Halal Pepperoni” sign is displayed in the window of the Little Caesars, which would lead people to believe that the halal pizzas sold there contain no pork.
Court documents say that Bazzi took his pizza home and began to eat it with his wife. After taking a few bites, the suit states that Bazzi realized that the pepperoni on the pizza was pork, rather than another meat that would be considered halal.
After consuming the pizza, court documents allege that Bazzi and his wife became sick after realizing they had consumed pork.
On March 23, court documents show that Bazzi filed a complaint at the Dearborn Police Department.
On May 24, one month later, Bazzi returned to the same Little Caesar’s Pizza shop and placed another order for a halal pepperoni pizza.
Bazzi documented his purchase and took photos of the sticker on the box which said “halal.” When Bazzi opened the pizza box, he was allegedly met with another pizza with pork pepperoni, instead of halal pepperoni.
Court documents say that Bazzi returned to the Little Caesars store and asked the store manager about the pizza. It is alleged that the manager told Bazzi that the pizza was indeed pork, and not halal.
The document further alleges that the manager says Bazzi ordered a regular pepperoni pizza, but requested a “halal” sticker for the box
“You told her to put the sticker on there, I have no idea, I'm like no, we only take orders because it was your order and you said you wanted a pepperoni, so we said OK,” said the store’s manager, according to court documents.
The suit goes on to state that the manager claims Bazzi received the pizza that he ordered.
The suit is seeking damages in the amount of $100 million for “irreparable harm” that was caused to Bazzi and thousands of others who ordered halal pizzas, thinking the pizzas were allowable under Islamic dietary laws.
Little Caesars has not released a statement regarding the suit.