According to news sources, a man who weighs nearly 300 pounds has filed an
Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit against White Castle in a federal court
in New York, claiming that the stationary booth seating in a Nanuet restaurant
is made for smaller people and that he hurt a knee trying to wedge into one
in 2009. When he complained in writing, he purportedly received three “very
condescending letters,” with offers for free hamburgers, although added
cheese would have cost extra. He has since used take-out to purchase his
food from White Castle or asked his wife to go into the facility to pick up his
meals, while waiting almost three years for promised renovations that would
have enlarged the seating spaces. Stockbroker and plaintiff Martin Kessman
reportedly said, “I just want to sit down like a normal person.” See New York
Post, September 11, 2011; The Wall Street Journal, September 13, 2011; USA
Today, September 14, 2011.

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For decades, manufacturers, distributors and retailers at every link in the food chain have come to Shook, Hardy & Bacon to partner with a legal team that understands the issues they face in today's evolving food production industry. Shook attorneys work with some of the world's largest food, beverage and agribusiness companies to establish preventative measures, conduct internal audits, develop public relations strategies, and advance tort reform initiatives.

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