Overview

• Mary Elizabeth Smith filed a negligence lawsuit on Aug. 7 in New York County Supreme Court seeking damages over the alleged Nov. 17, 2023 incident.
• Her attorney says lab testing identified the specimen as human tissue from a female and provided photos and a report to the restaurant’s insurer.
• Smith reports she brought the specimen to a clinic and underwent intensive antiretroviral treatment as a precaution.
• Owner Teddy Karagiannis calls the case fraudulent and impossible, cites multiple food-inspection steps, and says no female employees were on the prep line that day.
• Karagiannis says Smith declined DNA testing, while her lawyer argues the source could be in the supply chain and that the restaurant remains responsible; Liberty Mutual disputed the claim and the case remains contested with no court-verified DNA match.