Lawsuit alleges dead geckos found in Heineken beer can

Aug. 9 (UPI) -- A California man is suing the makers of Heineken beer, alleging there were two dead leopard geckos in his beer that made him ill.

The lawsuit claims George Toubbeh, 49, of Fountain Valley, experienced abdominal pain and vomiting in August 2015 after he started drinking from a 24-ounce can of Heineken he purchased from his local Ralphs store.

The suit says Toubbeh's daughter examined the beer that made her father ill and discovered two juvenile leopard geckos were dead inside.

"When discovered, the geckos had not been decomposed at all and were likely alive when the beer was poured and sealed into the cans in the bottling and/or canning facility," Toubbeh's attorney, John Montevideo, wrote in the lawsuit, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The lawsuit alleges Toubbeh suffered gastrointestinal issues, emotional distress, anxiety and trauma following the incident. The suit says he missed work for several weeks.

Heineken spokeswoman Tara Rush said the company believes the allegations in the lawsuit are false.

"Heineken USA holds the safety and integrity of the products we import to the highest standards," Rush told the Orange County Register. "We have investigated this isolated claim, and based on a number of factors, we confidently believe there is no merit to this claim."

Montevideo said he had a zoologist and a laboratory team examine the can and its contents.

"We truly believe that he is credible, and we have done the independent investigation to verify what they were and their condition," he said. "We feel confident that this is a viable and a real issue."