Overview

• Plaintiff Mary Elizabeth Smith, 43, filed a complaint in New York County Supreme Court on Aug. 7 alleging she bit into a human fingertip in a to‑go chicken wrap on Nov. 17, 2023.
• Her attorney says a lab examination identified the tissue as human and female, and he says photos and a forensic report were provided to the restaurant’s insurer.
• Create Astoria owner Teddy Karagiannis calls the allegation impossible and ludicrous, citing multiple inspection steps in the kitchen.
• Karagiannis says staffing records show no female employees were on duty that day, alleges Smith declined DNA testing on the fingertip, and says he plans to countersue for slander.
• Smith says she spit out the tissue, sought immediate medical care, underwent precautionary antiretroviral therapy, and remains traumatized as the case proceeds.