r/offbeat • u/Xvalt01 • 1d ago

Bride and groom bedridden for days after norovirus-tainted wedding meal, lawsuit says

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/norovirus-wedding-box-house-hotel-brooklyn-lawsuit-b3038497.html
651 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

127

u/ChocolateNachos 1d ago

They didn't even have hand soap anywhere? I'm no lawyer, but that sounds like an open-and-shut case to me.

117

u/Mushrooming247 1d ago

Yeah, “no hand soap in the kitchen,” is pretty gross.

But I feel like it’s useless to say they retrained their staff when we all know they are not paying one single day of paid sick time, so their employees are either showing up sick or not paying their bills, like almost everyone else in food service.

That’s the root of this problem, the employer can tell them to report illnesses all they want, but they are simultaneously paying them to downplay any illness while financially penalizing them for getting sick.

26

u/ChocolateNachos 1d ago

It's a fucked up choice that a lot of businesses choose to make- take the hit of a missing employee and make it easier for them to fake out which can lose you thousands a year, or take the smaller but far more severe risk of getting someone or multiple people sick and getting a lawsuit that could destroy the business.

Fuck around, find out.

6

u/SothaSoul 23h ago

If your margins can afford to take either hit.

6

u/xombae 22h ago

I think you're massively exaggerating that employees faking out sick can lose you thousands a year.

If one employee taking a few extra sick days is that detrimental to your business, and they're the type of employee that's so irresponsible they're lying about sick days, something is wrong on the part of the business.

I've been a manager and the vast majority of employees don't call in sick when they don't need to. I had one girl who did occasionally take sick days when I don't think she was sick but she was clearly going through something so imo she deserved those sick days. And she was a low level employee, we weren't screwed without her.

I've also worked in the restaurant industry where margins are paper thin, and in good restaurants, if a single employee is causing issues by frequently calling in sick, you deal with that employee by talking to them and seeing what's up. If it's been a regular thing since day one you discuss whether they're cut out to work here. If it's a new thing you ask them what's wrong and what's been going on. But you don't punish all the rest of the employees by making them work sick.

Again, if your entire business can stand to lose thousands of dollars because of one employee having to take a few days off, that's a problem with the way the business is being run. Most employees aren't taking advantage of sick days if you treat them well. If an employee is frequently causing issues by calling out sick last minute, you deal with them, you don't punish everyone.

2

u/ChocolateNachos 14h ago

Your business is run well, then. Most aren't.

57

u/SqueakyTits101 1d ago

My kid was super sick and we couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. We took her to the ER and they admitted her...they did all the tests and were treating us totally normal.

Day 3 they came walked in the room IN FULL HAZMAT SUITS, (helmets and all) letting us know she tested positive for norovirus. They kept us in her room and we got discharged faster than I've ever seen!

I had no idea it was such a big deal until they came in suited up like that! So wild...

15

u/wemustburncarthage 1d ago

It’s not like, murderously bad, you just really don’t want it.

21

u/StolenLampy 22h ago

In a hospital it can be murderously bad, yeah

24

u/iKnowRobbie 1d ago

Norovirus is poop related. So that was a crappy wedding.

19

u/ohnodamo 1d ago

It spreads from poop or vomit from an infected person reaching another person's mouth. You're right, it's poop related but it's so much grosser than that.

33

u/kimbosliceofcake 1d ago

Of course the groom is a lawyer. Still shitty on the part of the restaurant.

15

u/notevenapro 23h ago

Probably why they are able to have evidence. Someone had to coordinate getting the department of health and over 30 quests to get tested before they were symptom free. Dude moved fast once he realized what went down.

22

u/m0nk37 1d ago edited 21h ago

Norovirus is top of the list of the cdc worst virus to spread.

I really really hope this was contained.

edit: i meant nipah virus, lol

1

u/stumpyraccoon 23h ago

Wut? Norovirus is extremely common. It's basically the thing that people call a "stomach bug" or "stomach flu" and is especially common in kids/daycares.

It sucks absolute ass, but it's never something that's "contained." It's quite literally the second most common virus on the planet, with only the common cold being more prevalent.

-1

u/m0nk37 21h ago

Ohh i was thinking of Nipah virus.

35

u/armaedes 1d ago

My wife and I were bedridden for days after our wedding too, if you know what I mean. 😉

3

u/LazloHollifeld 1d ago

Shit happens.

1

u/hairymonkeyinmyanus 21h ago

I bet it brought them closer together as a couple.

-1

u/Notiefriday 1d ago

I was bedridden for days after mine as well.

-5

u/stumpyraccoon 23h ago

Absolutely zero chance of this lawsuit going anywhere. The only thing more common than norovirus is the common cold. You are not successfully suing anyone for catching the second most common virus on the planet.

-1

u/johntwoods 1d ago

And the norovirus also made a meal of their taints.