The Gross Reason Costco Is Being Sued For $200,000

Costco is no stranger to scandal. In fact, in case you're curious, we've collected the details on 15 of the biggest Costco scandals in history, some of which are pretty darn shocking. That said, not every claim made against Costco is capable of standing up to judicial scrutiny. So, for example, although news that Costco was being sued in a class action for allegedly spying on customers gave us reason to raise our eyebrows, we weren't even all that shocked to learn in September 2021 that the case had been dismissed for lack of convincing evidence presented by the plaintiff class (via Law360). Moreover, if we're being honest, which, of course we are, we had a feeling – based on years of Costco scandal-watching, that it couldn't be all that long before another Costco scandal emerged out of the woodwork to pique our interest.  

Well, optimism pays, dear reader, and so does patience. As it turns out, a pretty sizeable Costco scandal has been low-key developing all throughout the last year. As of the first of this month, the scandal is now both official and public, which is to say, the subject of a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. As titillating as it is, it's also quite nauseating. Consider yourself warned, and do come along and learn the truly gross reason why a family of four from Los Angeles is suing Costco for $200,000 in damages.

On March 18, 2021, the Los Angeles-based Berdjis family, consisting of Dr. Vahid, his wife Nafiseh, their 10-year-old son, and their 13-year-old daughter, purchased a "package of Kirkland Fresh Wild Pacific Halibut Fillet" from a Costco in San Dimas. The Berdjis family cooked and served the fish that very day. They then shared what remained with their young teenage daughter, according to CBS Los Angeles. What happened next is truly gross, so maybe you should be sitting down for this. But in any event, as the Berdjis daughter "picked through" the fish with her fork, "numerous live worms crawled out." 

"Plaintiffs understandably experienced severe emotional distress and fear and the minor children have vowed to never eat seafood again," according to initial papers filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court (via CBS Los Angeles). In the hopes of being made whole once again, the Berdjis family is seeking $200,000 in damages, alleging, through its lawyer, charges against Costco, including "negligence, breach of warranty, products liability, failure to warn and violation of the state Unfair Competition Law." 

A Costco representative did not immediately reply to CBS Los Angeles' request for comment, but the Berdjis family is alleging that Costco's management knew that something was possible but failed to warn customers, not to mention employees who could have exercised due care to ascertain the halibut might be carrying stowaways, had they known what to look for. Popcorn, anyone?