# $10,000,000 shrimp trumps $28,000 grilled cheese
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [November 24, 2004, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485 "2004-11-24T16:14:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/1 "2004-11-24T16:14:12Z")
[$10M suit filed against Benihana](http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-libeni1124,0,2243335.story?coll=ny-topstories-headlines)
> [@Newsday](#):
>
> A sizzling piece of shrimp tossed at a man during dinner at a Munsey Park Japanese restaurant in 2001 led to his death, his family has claimed in a lawsuit against the Benihana chain.
>
> Jerry Colaitis injured his neck while ducking from the shrimp, which a chef flipped his way during a family dinner to celebrate a son’s birthday at the Northern Boulevard restaurant in January 2001, said Roslyn attorney Andre Ferenzo, who is representing Colaitis’ estate.
The story only presents the family’s viewpoint, so I take it with a grain of salt. The family won’t include any facts that may weaken their case. YMMV.
Having said that, the lawyer should be bitch-slapped. Don’t want to be around flying food? Don’t visit Benihana. The article (again, family’s viewpoint) paint it as a malicious act by the chef (who will now be asked if he remembers a single family from 10 months back and will be faulted if he doesn’t).
_Some_ lawsuits that pop up make me wish there was a way to penalize lawyers/plaintiffs for blatant cash grabs. This may be one of them.
[P.S. I haven’t seen anyone else posting this in the pit, and I don’t frequent **MPSIMS**. I apologize in advance if this is the _n_th duplicate on the subject]
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### Author:  [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/2 "2004-11-24T16:36:59Z")
I say we put him in a room with Ron Artest.
We’ve got to stop this shit, seriously.
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### Author:  [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/3 "2004-11-24T16:46:45Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds a malicious act by the chef (who will now be asked if he remembers a single family from 10 months back and will be faulted if he doesn’t).[/QUOTE]
The shrimp was tossed in January 2001. It’s been three years since the guy keeled over and died, and they’ve only _now_ got around to blaming the crustacean wielding maniac? Who knows what butchery he has wrought since? 😉
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### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/4 "2004-11-24T16:55:55Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#):
>
> The shrimp was tossed in January 2001. It’s been three years since the guy keeled over and died, and they’ve only _now_ got around to blaming the crustacean wielding maniac? Who knows what butchery he has wrought since? 😉
Yikes! The man died ten months later, but it’s been nearly 4 years! I’m sure he’ll remember now :rolleyes: (And yes, I’m purposely ignoring your pun ;j )
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### Author:  [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/5 "2004-11-24T16:57:31Z")
Are they suing the hospital also? That seems like the more logical place to put the law suit.
I’m just glad to find that this guy didn’t die from ducking. For a second I thought this guy had a neck of dry spaghetti.
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### Author:  [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/6 "2004-11-24T17:01:10Z")
Not to mention the ridiculousness of suing the shrimp people for his death due to infection after surgery.
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### Author:  [@Spree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spree)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/7 "2004-11-24T17:07:54Z")
From the same article:
> [@](#):
>
> But on the other side of the table, after enthusiastically thanking a chef for the finale – flipping shrimp tails into the air and catching them in his chest pocket – Suzanne Beyer said the lawsuit has merit.
>
> “I’m always worrying it’ll hit my kids,” said Beyer, 47, of Dix Hills. “When they do all those tricks, I’m afraid food will get flung into an eye.”
Um, lady? If you’re worried about protecting your kids from the Behihana Chef of Doom ™ :rolleyes: , I have the perfect solution for you: _don’t go there_!
Whew, problem solved. Can I go back to sleep now?
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### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/8 "2004-11-24T17:14:25Z")
_Won’t somebody think about the children!_
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### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/9 "2004-11-24T17:20:12Z")
How odd, I used to work right next to that resteraunt, and I never even knew they had homicidal chefs.
Learn a new thing every day.
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### Author:  [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/10 "2004-11-24T17:20:43Z")
Stupid lawsuit.
Personally, i’ve never seen the attraction of those teppanyaki restaurants. If i want my food thrown at me, i’ll go back to boarding school.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/11 "2004-11-24T17:24:56Z")
The defendant roster on this lawsuit isn’t nearly long enough. They need to go after the culinary school that trained the chef, the wholesaler who brought the shrimp into the restaurant, the shrimp boat captain who caught the shrimp, the fish market that gave that captain a place to sell his catch, the restaurant supply company that retailed the knife, the manufacturer of the knife, the foundry where the steel in the knife was smelted, the operators of the mine where the ore for the steel was extracted, the uniform suppliers who supplied the uniform with the big pockets for the chef (a big breast pocket for catching shrimp tails fairly _screams_ “Hey! Be a show-off in this shirt!”) and the designer who designed the uniform.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/12 "2004-11-24T17:26:48Z")
Oh, I almost forgot.
:rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/13 "2004-11-24T17:30:26Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> The defendant roster on this lawsuit isn’t nearly long enough. They need to go after the culinary school that trained the chef, the wholesaler who brought the shrimp into the restaurant, the shrimp boat captain who caught the shrimp, the fish market that gave that captain a place to sell his catch, the restaurant supply company that retailed the knife, the manufacturer of the knife, the foundry where the steel in the knife was smelted, the operators of the mine where the ore for the steel was extracted, the uniform suppliers who supplied the uniform with the big pockets for the chef (a big breast pocket for catching shrimp tails fairly _screams_ “Hey! Be a show-off in this shirt!”) and the designer who designed the uniform.
Sure, sue everyone **but the shrimp who’s behind it all**. Typical.
Daniel
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/14 "2004-11-24T17:32:29Z")
I don’t think I’d want my neurosurgeons to know I was a fan of Benihana style productions.
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### Author:  [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/15 "2004-11-24T17:37:31Z")
Shrimp don’t kill people, chefs do.
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/16 "2004-11-24T17:39:31Z")
> [@Rufus Xavier](#):
>
> Shrimp don’t kill people, chefs do.
:rolleyes: Same old tired arguments. They hardly have any shrimp at all in Sasketchewan, and how many chef-related deaths do you hear about from there, huh? huh? huh?
Shrimp control–for the children!
Daniel
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### Author:  [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/17 "2004-11-24T17:40:44Z")
> [@lieu](#):
>
> I don’t think I’d want my neurosurgeons to know I was a fan of Benihana style productions.
Why not? Since they already have your head open, they could just remove the responsible braincell.
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### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/18 "2004-11-24T17:42:56Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#):
>
> Sure, sue everyone **but the shrimp who’s behind it all**. Typical.
>
> Daniel
The shrimp is dead, and he didn’t leave behind an estate, so why bother? It’s a money grab, after all.
Besides, even if you seance him in, you think the shrimp will remember dinner from January 2001 (other than saying, “Yikes, that’s hot!”)?
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/19 "2004-11-24T17:47:15Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#):
>
> The shrimp is dead, and he didn’t leave behind an estate, so why bother? It’s a money grab, after all.
Yeah, but in lawsuits like this, you don’t want to focus on just one party: you want to have a multi-prawned attack.
Daniel
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### Author:  [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2004, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-000-000-shrimp-trumps-28-000-grilled-cheese/276485/20 "2004-11-24T17:47:23Z")
Do shrimp have pockets, deep or otherwise? I know they _live_ in pockets, of shallow cold water, but how do you get a contingency on _that?_
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