A grieving widower has launched a lawsuit against McDonald’s after his wife was fatally attacked by a ‘vagrant’ while getting food in the drive-thru of a California store.
Jose Juan Rangel filed the complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court last week, almost two years on from the tragic death of his 58-year-old wife Maria Vargas Luna in March, 2024.
In the lawsuit, Rangel has named McDonald’s Corp. and two franchise holders as he argues a case of wrongful death and negligence.
He is seeking unspecified financial damages for Luna’s death.
‘Employees watched the assault unfold through the drive-thru window and on live video feeds and still chose not to call 911 or activate any emergency response,’ he alleged in the complaint.
‘Their total inaction in the face of heightened risk directly contributed to the injuries and the death described in this complaint.’
Rangel claimed staff at the McDonald’s allowed the man, identified as Charles Cornelius Green Jr., to ‘approach’ vehicles for upwards of 10 minutes, soliciting money from customers before he targeted Rangel and his wife.
‘These visible warning signs required Defendants to take protective action, but they did nothing,’ the complaint states.
Why didn’t Rangel do something himself, such as defend his wife or call 911 himself?