An Irish pub and restaurant in Florida owned by two Dublin businessmen is facing allegations of negligence following the death of a woman shortly after eating at the pub in October.
Kanokporn Tangsuan (42), a New York-based doctor, suffered a fatal allergic reaction after eating a meal at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant, located in the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando on October 5th, according to a lawsuit filed by the deceased’s husband, Jeffrey Piccolo, last Thursday.
The lawsuit, filed at a state court in Florida, claims that Tangsuan’s death was the “direct and proximate” result of Raglan Road’s negligence when it allegedly failed to adequately train staff in ensuring the food served to the deceased was allergen-free.
Raglan Road, co-owned by Dublin businessmen Paul Nolan and John Cooke, is operated by Great Irish Pubs Florida. Both men are listed as directors of the company with the Florida Department of State.
Gerry Thornley: Ireland’s fitful displays made for a rather disconcerting month
Nil Yalter: Solo Exhibition – A fascinating glimpse of a historically influential artist
Katie McCabe and Ireland fully focused on their qualification goal ahead of Wales match
A Californian woman in Dublin: ‘Ireland’s not perfect, but I do think as a whole it is moving in the right direction’
Great Irish Pubs Florida, doing business as Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant, is named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is also named as a defendant in the case taken in Orange County circuit court in Florida.
A request for comment was sent to directors of Raglan Road via email on Tuesday. Walt Disney World was also contacted for comment. Great Irish Pubs has yet to file a defence in the case lodged last week.
On the evening in question, it is alleged that before ordering a meal with her husband and mother-in-law Jackie Piccolo at the restaurant, Tangsuan informed a waiter of her “severe” dairy and nut allergies and asked if various items on the menu contained allergens.
After checking with the kitchen, the waiter assured Tangsuan that her dietary requirements could be accommodated and that allergen-free food would be prepared for her, the lawsuit states.
According to the court filings, Tangsuan and her husband questioned the wait staff several more times to ensure that the food she was ordering was allergen-free.
Tangsuan, a doctor at the Manhattan hospital NYU Langone, then ordered a broccoli and corn fritter, battered scallops, onion rings, and a vegan shepherd’s pie, according to the filings.
After some of their ordered dishes arrived without “allergen-free flags”, the couple again sought assurance that the food was allergen-free.
Less than an hour after eating her meal, she suffered a “severe acute allergic reaction” to the food served at Raglan Road while at a shop inside the Disney resort, the lawsuit claims.
She developed severe breathing difficulties and collapsed. Tangsuan self-administered a shot of adrenaline with an Epipen and was subsequently taken to hospital. She later died there.
A medical examiner’s report found that Tangsuan died of anaphylaxis due to “elevated levels of dairy and nut” in her system, according to the filings.
The lawsuit also alleges that negligence on the part of Disney Parks and Resorts caused Tangsuan’s death. The lawsuit claims that the resort had control over the menu of food offered at Raglan Road, and the hiring and/or training of wait staff, and is liable for the negligence of staff at the restaurant.
The bereaved Mr Piccolo is suing Great Irish Pubs Florida and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for damages in excess of $50,000.
Great Irish Pub Holdings, a company registered in Ireland and owned by Mr Cooke and Mr Nolan, recorded profits of $765,133 in the nine months between January 1st and September 30th, 2022, according to account filings. The company had a turnover of more than $24 million in the same period.
In 2021, the company recorded profits of $6.4 million.
- See our new project Common Ground, Evolving Islands: Ireland & Britain
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Our In The News podcast is now published daily – Find the latest episode here
