A Muslim man is suing America’s third largest pizza chain for $100 million (£78 million) after being served a pizza labelled halal which was topped with pork pepperoni.
Mohamad Bazzi ordered two halal pizzas twice from Little Caesars branch in Dearborn, Michigan.
The boxes were labelled halal but were topped with pork, a food which is banned under Islamic law.
Mr Bazzi and his wife were halfway through eating the pizza when they realised they had been eating pork pepperoni, he said in the lawsuit.
Having previously worked at a pizza restaurant Mr Bazzi realised it was pork pepperoni, rather than a sausage made from an alternative meat. His wife, who converted from Catholicism, could recognise the taste.
They became “sick to their stomach” and three days later filed a complaint with the police.
Majed Moughni, Mr Bazzi’s lawyer, rushed to start legal proceedings on the eve of Ramadan, to ensure now other Muslims made the same mistake.
“It’s really upsetting,” he said. “My clients want the public to know. Especially during Ramadan, it would be a travesty if Muslims … in Dearborn bought pizza from Little Caesars and discovered they were eating pork.”
A spokeswoman for the chain said “Little Caesars cherishes our customers from all religions and cultures, and the communities we serve are very important to us. While we can’t comment on pending litigation, we take this claim very seriously.”
