Denny’s Dangerous? That’s what a Class Action Lawsuit Claims
According to a July 2009 lawsuit filed in New Jersey, most of the meals on Denny’s menu are dangerously high in sodium, putting customers at a greater risk of suffering from high blood pressure, a heart attack or a stroke. Filed as a class action lawsuit, the petition seeks to require Denny’s to disclose the amount of sodium for each item on the menu, along with placing a warning about the sodium levels and the risks such levels may pose.
The products liability case states that the average consumer should have no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. However, as reported by Nutrition Horizon, at Denny’s, the majority of its meals contain much more than this daily allowance. In fact, the action claims that many menu items contain up to 5,000 milligrams of sodium.
In the case, the plaintiff is 48-year-old man, who has been a frequent Denny’s customer for many years. The plaintiff takes prescription medication for high blood pressure and, when at home, does not use salt in any of his meals. The action lists “Moons Over My Hammy” and “Super Bird Turkey Sandwich” as some of his favorite meals. In the article, the plaintiff is quoted as being “astonished” to find “that these simple sandwiches have more salt than someone in my condition should have in a whole day.”
The action bases its claim on the belief that “by concealing an important fact about its products—namely that these foods have disease-promoting levels of sodium and therefore Denny’s is failing its responsibility to its customers and is in violation of the laws of New Jersey and several other states.”
Since the filing of the action, Denny’s has lowered its sodium levels in several items. More recently, the restaurant’s insurer has filed numerous counterclaims.
Monheit is the managing lawyer at Monheit Law, outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has practiced law since 1989. Michael Monheit was the managing attorney of the law offices of Herbert Monheit — now Silverman and Fodera — a firm founded by... Michael Monheit→
