A man with a life-threatening milk allergy has sued McDonald’s alleging that a slice of American cheese on his Big Mac caused him to have a severe allergic reaction.
Charles Olsen placed an order for a Big Mac meal without cheese through the food delivery platform DoorDash in February 2021 from a New York City McDonald’s, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Friday and first reported by The Daily Beast. The legal complaint included a copy of Olsen’s online order, which showed he had checked “No American Cheese” when he placed it.
Olsen, 28, of Rockland County, New York, had ordered “this specific meal from this same McDonald’s through DoorDash multiple times before and never had a problem with it,” said one of his attorneys, Jory Lange Jr., whose Texas firm specializes in food safety cases.
“They had always made it without cheese when that had been requested in the past, so he thought this would be safe,” Lange said.
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But after a few bites of his meal, says the lawsuit, which was filed in New York Supreme Court, Olsen “immediately felt like something wasn’t right. His throat began to itch and swell. He felt a burning sensation throughout his body. He looked at his girlfriend, Alexandra, and coughed, ‘There’s milk in this!’”
Within minutes, Olsen’s body was covered in hives and his breathing became labored, the lawsuit adds. It says that as Olsen gasped for air, his girlfriend rushed him to the hospital, where he was “on the brink of needing intubation to save his life” and was admitted for anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction that can be deadly if not treated immediately. Doctors were able to stabilize and discharge Olsen after several hours, the lawsuit says.
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