Tostitos Cheese Dip Lawsuit Alleges Glass Shards Caused Internal Bleeding and Emergency Surgery

Lawsuit claims defendants failed to prevent glass from contaminating Tostitos Queso products, resulting in a woman suffering life-threatening injuries.

A Colorado woman has filed a product liability lawsuit alleging that a jar of Tostitos Salsa Con Queso dip contained glass shards, which she unknowingly consumed, leading to severe internal injuries.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Laurel Schnell in Colorado state court last month, pursuing damages from Frito-Lay Inc., Dairy Farmers of America Inc. and Dillon Companies Inc. as the defendants. However, the case was removed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on June 16.

Schnell claims the defendants were involved in the manufacturing, distribution and sale of a Tostitos cheese dip that was contaminated with glass pieces, causing her to suffer a life-threatening gastric hemorrhage, which resulted in the need for multiple surgeries and blood transfusions.

Tostitos Salsa Con Queso Lawsuit

In the lawsuit, Schnell indicates she purchased a jar of Tostitos Salsa Con Queso dip in March 2024 from King Soopers, a Dillon Companies Inc. grocery store. In the days following the purchase, she consumed the product and eventually discovered glass shards after biting into a piece that was much harder than the corn chip she was eating.

Schnell returned to the King Soopers store, where she showed the product to customer service before seeking medical evaluation at a local medical center. Despite no evidence of glass ingestion being found during her initial evaluation, Schnell claims she continued to experience symptoms that did not resolve. 

According to the lawsuit, Schnell sought treatment at another medical center in September 2024, where a scoping procedure revealed bleeding in the lower portion of her stomach. She was diagnosed with a gastric hemorrhage and underwent multiple endoscopies, surgeries to stop the bleeding and blood transfusions.

The defendants allegedly breached their duties and failed to comply with laws and regulations to protect Schnell against injuries from the glass contamination.

“As a direct and proximate result of said negligence, Plaintiff suffered multiple injuries, future injuries, economic damages, non-economic damages, physical impairment, medical bills, and expenses.”

— Laurel Schnell v. Frito-Lay Inc. et al.

The complaint raises allegations of strict product liability, negligence and breach of implied warranty. It seeks damages, as well as pre- and post-judgment interest, costs and expenses, and any other relief the court deems equitable.

Sign up for more legal news that could affect you or your family.