An Orange County man is suing Heineken, alleging he found two dead geckos floating in his beer can.
George Toubbeh says he suffered severe abdominal pain and vomiting in August 2015 after drinking from a 24-ounce Heineken he had purchased from a Ralphs in Fountain Valley.
The lawsuit says Toubbeh’s daughter later examined the beer can and found two geckos inside.
“When discovered, the geckos had not been decomposed at all and were likely alive when the beer was poured and sealed into the cans in the bottling and/or canning facility.”
The lawsuit says he continued to suffer from severe gastrointestinal ailments, emotional distress, anxiety and trauma and missed several weeks of work.
Heineken spokeswoman Tara Rush says the company is denying the allegations.
“Heineken USA holds the safety and integrity of the products we import to the highest standards. We have investigated this isolated claim, and based on a number of factors, we confidently believe there is no merit to this claim.”
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Toubbeh’s attorney, John Montevideo, says the family brought him the can with the geckos inside shortly after the incident.
He says he had a zoologist and a lab perform examinations to determine the breed and how decomposed the lizard were.
“We truly believe that he is credible, and we have done the independent investigation to verify what they were and their condition. We feel confident that this is a viable and a real issue.”
Toubbeh is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.