Brooklyn pastor sues McDonald’s over ‘rotten’ McCrispy sandwich he claims left him sick for weeks

Exclusive: ‘I do believe that my faith saved me,’ Rustam Irsaliev told The Independent. A Brooklyn pastor claims he was leveled by a “rotten” McDonald’s chicken sandwich that wreaked havoc on his lower digestive system and put him largely out of commission for more than a month-and-a-half, leaving him unable to properly tend to his flock, according to a lawsuit obtained by The Independent.

The meal so thoroughly thrashed the insides of Rustam Irsaliev, who wound up in the ER with food poisoning, that he has lodged a claim of assault and battery against the fast-food giant. Irsaliev remains fearful of eating out at restaurants in the aftermath of the agonizing ordeal, which, his suit contends, “sufficiently lowers the quality of his family and social life.”. On Wednesday, Irsaliev, leader of the St. Remnant Church in Brighton Beach, described the experience as “horrible.” As he vomited multiple times in the immediate aftermath, shaking and becoming increasingly weak, Irsaliev said he began to pray, begging for divine intervention.

Irsaliev said he continues to experience intermittent abdominal pain so intense, he feels anxious about getting behind the wheel of his car. A McDonald’s spokesperson did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Irsaliev’s gastrointestinal nightmare began with a November 13, 2024, “family lunch” at a McDonald’s in Brighton Beach, according to a complaint filed two weeks ago in New York State Supreme Court.

He bit into the Deluxe McCrispy he had ordered – a fried chicken filet topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo – and soon detected “a ‘bitter taste’ and ‘strange feeling’ in his mouth,” the complaint states. It says that when Irsaliev took a closer look at what he was eating, he “discovered… mold and rotten particles on [the] bun and meat of the sandwich.”. Irsaliev immediately approached the counter, sandwich in hand, and showed it to one of the workers, who called over the manager, according to the complaint. The manager deflected any blame, telling Irsaliev that McDonald’s “brought it here for us like that,” the complaint goes on.

Irsaliev did not receive an apology, but instead was offered a coupon for two free burgers, the complaint says. About 90 minutes later, Irsaliev’s complaint continues, he “started to feel a sharp pain in his stomach, and started to vomit.” He rushed to the emergency room of a nearby municipal hospital, where he threw up another two times, according to the complaint. It says the doctor who treated Irsaliev told him he had “been ‘food poisoned,’” after which he was discharged to recuperate at home.

Several days later, Irsaliev again found himself feeling “very weak,” with escalating stomach pain, and returned to see the doctor again, the complaint states. It says he was “prescribed… medications for his stomach and a cream for his inflamed ‘lower part.’”. More than six weeks after the lunch in question, Irsaliev still suffered from an “unpleasant feeling in the stomach,” and “could not perform his clergyman duties as he [normally] would,” according to the complaint. It has now been roughly two months, and although his condition has largely improved, Irsaliev said on Wednesday that he continues to feel the effects of the offending McCrispy.

Irsaliev said he would advise anyone who visits a restaurant to check their food before taking the first bite, recommending they “be vigilant, always check the food, smell the food, and check the reviews online.”. In an email, Dorove said, “As a global corporation, McDonald's should be very careful to whom it is entrusting its brand. McDonald's is responsible for the actions of all its suppliers and other agents. Proper and regular inspection of its suppliers, agents and everyone in their ‘stream of commerce’ could prevent these dangerous situations.”.

Irsaliev’s complaint lists three individual causes of action against the megachain: breach of warranty, gross negligence, and assault and battery, which, according to the filing, McDonald’s committed “by engaging in unwanted physical contact with dangerous (expired, rotten, mold infested) items having been planted in the… food product.”. He is demanding compensatory and punitive damages to be determined in court, plus attorneys’ fees.