Exploding toilet at Dunkin' in Florida left a customer injured and filthy, lawsuit claims

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A customer has filed a negligence lawsuit against Dunkin', claiming he was injured by an exploding toilet at one of the coffee chain's locations in central Florida.

Paul Kerouac is seeking more than $100,000 in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in state court in Orlando, claiming he suffered “severe and long term injuries” following the explosion of a toilet in the men's room of a Dunkin' location in Winter Park, Florida, a year ago.

After the explosion left Kerouac covered in human feces, urine and debris, he walked out of the men’s room seeking help from workers and the store’s manager, according to the lawsuit. An employee told him that they were aware of the “problem with the toilet” since there had been previous incidents, the lawsuit says, without diving into further details about the explosion.

When contacted Thursday by email for more details on Kerouac’s injuries, his attorney, Scott Spradley, said he was tied up and couldn’t answer the questions until the following day. The Canton, Massachusetts-based company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The lawsuit says Kerouac suffered “bodily injury,” and he has required mental health care and counseling since the incident in January 2022.