Pennsylvania Woman’s Lawsuit Claims Dunkin’ Brew is Too Sweet

A Dunkin’ Donuts employee mistakenly put sugar rather than artificial sweetener into a diabetic woman’s coffee, triggering a reaction that sent the woman to the hospital, according to a civil lawsuit filed Thursday in Philadelphia.

Danielle Jordan became dizzy, disoriented and light-headed after drinking the sugary brew and ultimately had to be hospitalized because of diabetic shock, according to the suit.

Jordan claims her diabetic symptoms have worsened as a result of the incident and she has had to increase the medications she uses for treatment.

The resulting difficulties have deprived Jordan of “her usual customary duties, activities, avocations and occupations” to her “great financial detriment and loss,” according to the suit.

Jordan’s lawyer, Kenneth Rodgers, said his client got her drink on the way to a downtown mall and that’s where she became ill. A security guard noticed Jordan’s plight and called for paramedics, who transported her to a hospital. She was discharged a few hours later.

Jordan couldn’t tell from the taste of the drink that she got sugar instead of her preferred artificial sweetener, Rodgers said.

“She didn’t drink it all, but she drank more than half of it,” Rodgers said.

Jordan would have been able to pick out the difference in a side-by-side comparison, he said.

Dunkin’ Donuts was negligent in allowing employees to add sweetener to coffee out of the customer’s presence, the suit claims. Jordan is seeking unspecified damages.

A legal liaison for the Canton, Mass.-based chain, Leshia Evans, told the Philadelphia Daily News on Friday that she couldn’t comment on the case but said customers receive only what they’ve ordered.

“If they request a medium coffee, they will get a medium coffee,” Evans said. “If you fail to request a sugar substitute, we can’t read your mind. We sell doughnuts, not crystal balls.”