Man who says he found a bug in his salad suing Hy-Vee

By Steven Martens | Tuesday, August 19, 2008

 CLINTON, Iowa — A Bellevue, Iowa, man has filed a lawsuit against Hy-Vee after a Cobb salad he bought at the Clinton grocery store allegedly contained one ingredient he wasn’t expecting — a live bug.

In his lawsuit filed July 25 in Clinton County District Court, Kenneth Schmidt, 38, alleges that he bought a DiLusso Cobb Salad on the morning of March 29 and brought it with him to work.

Schmidt had already eaten some of his salad during his lunch break when he found a live bug in the container, according to the lawsuit.

Schmidt is seeking unspecified compensation for past and future pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional impairment and emotional distress.

Schmidt’s attorney, Mark Lawson of Maquoketa, would not comment on the case but did say his client took photos of the bug in the salad.

 A Clinton store manager told the Associated Press that details of the case have been turned over to the corporate offices of Hy-Vee. Representatives of the Hy-Vee corporate office could not be reached for comment.