Little Caesars Lawsuit – Will a Piggy Bankruptcy Solve the Legal Dispute?
In May of 2021, there was a Muslim man from Dearborn, Michigan who was suing for $100k. This man ate a pig’s head during Ramadan and as a result he had to sacrifice this protein-rich meat. His lawsuit stated that the pig’s head and neck caused nerve damage, shingles, vomiting and bleeding. The pig’s head is also a Halal meat which has been prohibited by the Islamic religion. In fact the pig head cannot be eaten during Ramadan.
The story went viral and several Muslims came out against this lawsuit saying it was in fact a misrepresentation and violation of their religion.
Even a New York Magazine writer wrote an article stating, “There is no reason to bring a lawsuit over a pig’s head.” This caused the plaintiff’s attorney to file a counter-suit in the county where the restaurant resides. This is typical of frivolous lawsuits and when they make any merit at all it is usually on behalf of the defendant. The judge ordered both sides to mediation and a settlement was reached.
Muslims are not required by law to cut off pig heads during Ramadan. However, this is not a cultural requirement as it is strictly a religious requirement to not eat pork. The pig in question in this lawsuit was a Halal item that was to be eaten at the establishment. The restaurant had a sign outside that states, “Pork is halal”.
Lawyers for the plaintiff filed paperwork to have the case dismissed stating that it was a civil and not a criminal case.
The judge denied the motion stating that it was a civil case and therefore there was a question of lawfulness. This ruling was later overturned in the Michigan state supreme court, which ruled in favor of the plaintiff. The Michigan court did not have the benefit of watching the video of the purported incident and the general public does not have access to this information.
So now we have a lawsuit that involves the defendant being filmed by the plaintiff’s attorneys cutting pig heads.
The plaintiff is suing for slander, physical injury, invasion of privacy, emotional trauma, etc. The case has been delayed until further notice and the judge has ordered a pre-trial hearing. The judge will issue a scheduling order for discovery so that discovery can be completed. Discovery will include emails, phone records, etc. from either party.
The attorneys for Little Caesar’s stand their ground and claim that the plaintiffs defamed them in their lawsuit.
In their legal filings they maintain that the plaintiffs knew that they did not own the property that was in question when they cut the pig’s head. Therefore, they argue that the pig in fact symbolizes hatred and must be removed. They further claim that Muslims do not eat pork and therefore, the symbol does not promote pork or hate. The attorneys for Little Caesar’s also claim that the plaintiffs defamed them in the media when they said the pig represents all Muslims and infer that all Muslims will eat the pig.
The defendants counter that the plaintiffs knew that the pig in question is not an actual Muslim and that it is simply an accessory worn by the actors in the movie.
Further, they maintain that pigs are permitted to be eaten by Muslims as long as there is no alcohol involved. Lastly, they maintain that there is no historical reference to Muslims eating pigs. Again, they assert that there is no harm or danger in owning or wearing a pig accessory.
The court will issue a decision in the coming days and will most likely side with the plaintiffs. If the plaintiff’s attorneys are unable to resolve this issue, they will ask the court to take the case to court. This will most likely result in additional expense on their part for attorneys, court costs and even damages. If the plaintiff is unable to resolve this issue with regards to the Little Caesars lawsuit then they must now turn to the court to determine another way to resolve this dispute.
