Mississippi woman files lawsuit after discovering dead mice in beverage can

A Mississippi woman has filed a lawsuit against US Beverage Packers, LLC, alleging a horrifying discovery in her AriZona Arnold Palmer Lite drink.

The Oxford Eagle reports that Shannon Sellers claims she found two dead mice at the bottom of her can, leading to significant emotional and physical distress.

On May 1, 2023, Sellers, then living in Oxford, reportedly opened the drink during a departmental meeting. As she neared the end of the beverage, she noticed an unusual weight in the can. “I realized that the weight of the can felt weird even though I was fairly sure I had finished the drink,” Sellers recounted. Despite tilting the can to extract the remaining tea, nothing came out. Peering into the container, she spotted something lodged at the bottom. When she tilted the can toward her, a rodent’s paw emerged from the opening.

Horrified and nauseated, Sellers said she immediately rushed to the restroom to vomit. The experience left her traumatized, and she sought medical attention later that day. During her visit, she and the physician discovered not one, but two mice inside the can.

“I ended up taking the next two days off work because I was struggling so significantly with nausea and anxiety,” Sellers said. “I just felt so disgusted and struggled to eat or drink for several days because I was so terrified of consuming something else that was tainted.”

In January 2024, Sellers filed a lawsuit against US Beverage Packers, LLC, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. The suit alleges negligence in the manufacture and bottling of the drink, product liability, and breach of implied and express warranties.

During the discovery process, it was revealed that Sellers’ experience was not isolated. The company produced 79 pages of consumer complaints related to rodents found in beverages, with incidents reported across the Eastern United States, the Midwest, and the South.

“Even now, more than a year later, I still struggle to eat or drink any of the foods I had the day I drank the contaminated tea,” Sellers said. “It is so embarrassing and frustrating that I have to live in fear of finding something dead in a sealed container.”

The case continues to unfold as Sellers seeks justice for the ordeal that has left her with lasting trauma.