Harris Wolobah (GoFundMe) A lawsuit has been filed in Massachusetts following the death of 14-year-old Harris Wolobah, who passed away on Septembe
A lawsuit has been filed in Massachusetts following the death of 14-year-old Harris Wolobah, who passed away on September 1, 2023, after participating in the “One Chip Challenge.”
The suit, filed by the estate of Harris Wolobah on July 11, names multiple defendants involved in the production and sale of the extra-spicy snack.
The defendants listed in the lawsuit include Paqui, LLC; Amplify Snack Brands, Inc.; The Hershey Company; Walgreen Eastern Co., Inc.; Walgreens of Massachusetts, LLC; James Connolly; and an unidentified employee referred to as Jane Doe.
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Lois Lama Wolobah, acting as the personal representative of Harris Wolobah’s estate, alleges that the defendants were negligent in the design, manufacture, distribution, inspection, testing, marketing, and sale of the product.
The complaint highlights that the chip contained extremely high levels of capsaicin from Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers. It asserts that despite being aware of the dangers associated with the product and its appeal to minors through social media challenges, the defendants failed to take adequate measures to prevent minors from accessing it.
Harris Wolobah died after consuming a chip with friends who recorded the challenge. He subsequently told a school nurse he wasn’t feeling well and lost consciousness. He complained of severe stomach pain and was sent home instead of to a hospital.
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At home, he passed out again and later died. The cause of death was determined to be “cardiopulmonary arrest in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration in a person with cardiomegaly and myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery.”
The lawsuit seeks damages for the conscious pain and suffering endured by Harris Wolobah before his death.
The plaintiff is represented by Douglas Sheff of Sheff & Cook in Boston.
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