Woman sues KFC over son's rat scare

A Hong Kong woman has sued US fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken for compensation after a rat allegedly fell onto her two-year-old son and scratched his face in one of its Hong Kong branches, a newspaper reported today.

Chui Fung-fai, 36, said she and her son were eating at the KFC restaurant on July, 30, 2004, when a black rat suddenly jumped from a ventilation pipe onto the boy’s head and scratched his face, Ming Pao Daily News reported.

“My boy was so scared that he cried out loud,” Chui was quoted as saying.

Chui told the newspaper that she and her son had nightmares about the incident and have had to seek treatment from psychiatrists.

She filed court papers yesterday to seek 50,000 Hong Kong dollars (€4,900) compensation from KFC – owned by Yum Brands Inc., the second biggest US fast-food chain based in Louisville, Kentucky.

The report quoted KFC’s senior marketing manager Wong Chi-ki as saying that no rats were found in any of its Hong Kong restaurants.

The case was adjourned until May 23 for a trial.