Gonzalez v. Wendy's

Summary

Plaintiff allegedly bit a Wendy's cheeseburger containing a metal object -- possibly a nail or a staple -- which caused mouth injuries, including dislocation of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ), requiring bilateral surgery.

The defendant claimed that there was no metal piece in a Wendy's hamburger, and if there was one it did not cause TMJ dislocation. A laboratory later found saliva on the metal, but not starch or blood. Also, the defendant asserted that the symptoms of TMJ dysfunction, such as jaw pain, were not reported until months later.

The jury found for the defense, determining that the Wendy's franchisee was not negligent and did not sell a defective hamburger.

Outcome

Verdict for the defense

Case Information

Attorneys

Witnesses

Plaintiff: Gonzalez, Roger
Defense: Wendy's International, Inc

Judge: Edward Nicholas
Jurisdiction: 12th Judicial Circuit of Florida
Court: Manatee County Judicial Center

Case Number: 2008CA5853
Industry: Food
Practice Area: Tort Law, Products Liability, Negligence

Plaintiff

Gonzalez, Roger

Represented By:
Grondahl, Paul (Mackey Law Group)

Defense

Wendy's International, Inc

Represented By:
Lewis, John (Henderson Franklin)

Expert Witnesses

Lay Witnesses

Sessions

Attorney

Witness

Type

Description

PM Session

Openings

14 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:19	General Case Activities
00:07:56	Opening Statement	Grondahl, Paul
00:53:48	Opening Statement	Lewis, John
01:20:10	Break
01:40:12	Witness Direct Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Bradford, Mr. Jason	In Person
01:49:07	Witness Cross Examination	Lewis, John	Bradford, Mr. Jason	In Person
01:49:57	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Bradford, Mr. Jason	In Person
01:50:17	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Lewis, John	Bradford, Mr. Jason	In Person
01:51:40	Witness Direct Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Thomas, Mr. Greg	In Person
02:00:00	General Case Activities
02:16:08	Witness Cross Examination	Lewis, John	Thomas, Mr. Greg	In Person
02:33:01	Witness Direct Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Sallier, Mr. David	In Person
02:43:09	Witness Cross Examination	Lewis, John	Sallier, Mr. David	In Person
02:46:10	General Case Activities

NOV

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

11 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:10	General Case Activities
00:03:48	Witness Cross Examination	Lewis, John	Scott, Ms. Patricia	Transcript Reading
00:18:33	Witness Direct Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Scott, Ms. Patricia	Transcript Reading
00:29:21	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Lewis, John	Scott, Ms. Patricia	Transcript Reading
00:41:13	Witness Direct Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Boland, Dr. Thomas M.D., D.M.D,	Video Recording
01:05:28	Break
01:27:51	Witness Direct Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Boland, Dr. Thomas M.D., D.M.D,	Video Recording
02:08:00	Witness Cross Examination	Lewis, John	Boland, Dr. Thomas M.D., D.M.D,	Video Recording
02:50:20	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Boland, Dr. Thomas M.D., D.M.D,	Video Recording
02:57:13	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Lewis, John	Boland, Dr. Thomas M.D., D.M.D,	Transcript Reading
02:58:34	End of Session

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

7 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:01:04	Witness Direct Examination	Grondahl, Paul	McElveen, Dr. William M.D.	In Person
00:37:16	Witness Cross Examination	Lewis, John	McElveen, Dr. William M.D.	In Person
00:55:54	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Grondahl, Paul	McElveen, Dr. William M.D.	In Person
00:58:05	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Lewis, John	McElveen, Dr. William M.D.	In Person
01:00:41	Break
01:31:53	Witness Direct Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Gonzalez, Mr. Roger	In Person
03:27:57	General Case Activities

NOV

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

13 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:16	General Case Activities
00:01:24	Witness Cross Examination	Lewis, John	Gonzalez, Mr. Roger	In Person
01:24:42	Break
01:55:46	Witness Cross Examination	Lewis, John	Gonzalez, Mr. Roger	In Person
01:59:38	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Gonzalez, Mr. Roger	In Person
02:11:58	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Lewis, John	Gonzalez, Mr. Roger	In Person
02:13:50	Witness Direct Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Gonzalez, Mrs. Madeline	In Person
02:20:03	Witness Cross Examination	Lewis, John	Gonzalez, Mrs. Madeline	In Person
02:21:52	General Case Activities
02:28:21	Break
02:47:49	General Case Activities
02:50:33	Witness Direct Examination	Lewis, John	Bates, Prof. Lynn	Video Recording
03:18:01	End of Session

PM Session

Defense Witness(es)

13 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:33	Witness Direct Examination	Lewis, John	Bates, Prof. Lynn	Video Recording
00:04:36	Witness Cross Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Bates, Prof. Lynn	Video Recording
00:24:43	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Lewis, John	Bates, Prof. Lynn	Video Recording
00:26:13	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Bates, Prof. Lynn	Video Recording
00:31:58	Witness Direct Examination	Lewis, John	Castellano, Dr. Nelson	In Person
01:28:04	Break
01:48:48	Witness Cross Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Castellano, Dr. Nelson	In Person
02:05:24	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Lewis, John	Castellano, Dr. Nelson	In Person
02:06:45	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Castellano, Dr. Nelson	In Person
02:09:35	Witness Direct Examination	Lewis, John	Blain, Ms. Cynthia	In Person
02:31:57	Witness Cross Examination	Grondahl, Paul	Blain, Ms. Cynthia	In Person
02:39:36	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Lewis, John	Blain, Ms. Cynthia	In Person
02:40:10	General Case Activities

NOV

AM Session

Closings

8 Chapters

PM Session

Verdict

1 Chapters

NOV

Recording Disclaimer: This proceeding was recorded in full.

Gonzalez v. Wendy's

Summary

Outcome

Sessions

AudioCaseFiles

Essentials

Training Libraries

	Description	Attorney
00:00:28	General Case Activities
00:02:50	General Case Activities
00:03:10	Closing Statement	Grondahl, Paul
01:29:40	Break
02:14:03	Closing Statement	Lewis, John
02:55:41	General Case Activities
02:59:04	General Case Activities
03:17:01	Break