Iowa Woman Suing Hard Rock Hotel & Casino For Leaving Jalapenos In Food

An Iowa woman is suing the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Sioux City because she said the restaurant staff didn't warn her that her meal included jalapeno peppers.

According to the Quad-City Times, Rochelle McCoy, of Sioux City, says in the lawsuit that was filed on Monday, May 4th, that she was served a meal that had a meat mixture which included jalapenos. McCoy said she had informed restaurant staff that she was allergic to them.

The Quad-City Times reports that the lawsuit says McCoy had an allergic reaction after eating the food. The lawsuit says that McCoy experienced swelling, physical distress, shortness of breath, the inability to talk, and near fainting, which had her hospitalized.

McCoy is seeking an excess of $10,000 from a judgment to compensate her for damages and medical expenses. Hard Rock's vice president of operations, Mike Adams, told the Quad-City Times that the company doesn't comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit was filed Monday, May 4th in Woodbury County District Court. In the lawsuit, McCoy said that she was dining in one of the casino's restaurants on late May 7th or early May 8th of 2018. McCoy says she alerted the staff that she is allergic to jalapenos and despite providing that information, the meat in her meal contained jalapenos. This caused her to have the reaction after she ate it.

The Quad-City Times reports that Rochelle McCoy is alleging that Hard Rock failed to disclose the menu item contained jalapenos. She also alleges that the restaurant staff was negligent by not listening to her warnings about her allergies and follow her instructions to remove them.