- Harjasleen Walia filed a lawsuit against Coup de Thai, claiming the Dragon Balls burned her vocal cords, esophagus and in her right nostril
- She went to eat with a friend at Los Gatos restaurant in July 2021 and the dish was advertised as spicy, so the server asked to make it with less spice
- Coup de Thai has denied its allegations and said no injuries were caused
A San Jose neurologist is suing a Thai restaurant alleging that its spicy $11 “Dragon Balls” caused internal burns and left her with permanent injuries.
Harjasleen Walia filed a lawsuit against Coup de Thai, claiming the chicken entree chemically burned her vocal cords, esophagus and the lining of her right nostril.
The doctor said she went to dinner with a friend at Los Gatos restaurant in July 2021 and the dish was advertised as spicy, so she asked the waiter to make it with less spice.
Walia, who does not tolerate spice well, claimed the employee “said they would have the chef make them less spicy.”
Walia claimed that almost immediately after eating the Dragon Balls, she felt “her entire mouth, the roof of her mouth, her tongue, her throat and her nose burning like fire.”
She pointed to the bird's eye chili pepper in the dish as a problematic ingredient. The 'bird's eye' is a pepper from Mexico. The spice level is between 50,000 and 100,000 Scoville units. A bell pepper is zero and a jalapeno falls between 2,500 and 8,000 on the scale.
Harjasleen Walia, a neurologist in San Jose, is suing a Thai restaurant claiming its spicy $11 'Dragon Balls' caused internal burns and left her with permanent injuries
She filed a lawsuit against Coup de Thai, claiming the chicken entree chemically burned her vocal cords, esophagus and the lining of her right nostril.
The doctor, who specializes in treating brain injuries and headaches, added that her eyes and nose were watering and she started coughing.
She also began losing her voice and was diagnosed with internal “chemical burns” from the chili peppers, according to the lawsuit.
“A new employee preparing the dish made a mistake and added extra peppers instead of reducing them as requested,” it said.
She is suing the restaurant and its owner Tanatcha Swangchaeng, along with the unnamed chef who cooked the dish and the unnamed waitress who took her order.
Coup de Thai has denied her accusations and said she suffered no injuries.
The Doctor also takes legal action against anyone in the restaurant that day or before who “in any way influenced, designed, prepared or participated in the Dragon Ball dish.”
Walia also accused the defendants of failing to train staff “to serve Thai iced tea or other dairy-based product if a customer reacted poorly to the intensity of the spices.”
Dragon Balls on the Coup de Thai website are described as 'spicy chicken' meatballs with mint, shallot, green onion, coriander, kaffir lime leaf and chilli
She reportedly drank “an entire glass of coconut water and more water, but the burning sensation did not go away.”
Dragon Balls on the Coup de Thai website are described as 'spicy chicken' meatballs with mint, shallot, green onion, cilantro, kaffir lime leaf and chilli.
A supervisor at Coup de Thai previously claimed that it is not possible to make the starter in a mild way because the chili peppers are already in the dish.
Doctor Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor said eating Thai chili peppers can cause irritation to the mouth and throat, as well as nausea and heartburn, according to The Mercury News.
But she added that “they are not associated with permanent tissue damage.”
In a filing on Nov. 20, the restaurant and Swangchaeng said an investigation into the incident was “ongoing.”
Walia has called for a jury trial and is seeking unspecified damages, medical expenses and compensation for alleged lost income.
Both sides have insisted that they are willing to possibly mediate and resolve the dispute.
DailyMail.com has contacted Walia and Coup de Thai for comment.