Anna Ayala

Anna Ayala (born circa 1965) is an American woman who is notorious for bringing a fraudulent tort lawsuit against a Wendy's restaurant in San Jose, California, which inflicted more than US$2.5 million in losses for the corporation, leading to a felony charge of attempted grand larceny against her. Ayala pleaded guilty to the charge in September 2005, and was sentenced to nine years in prison on January 18, 2006. Booking photograph of Anna Ayala taken by the Las Vegas Police Department. ... Booking photograph of Anna Ayala taken by the Las Vegas Police Department. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... In the broadest sense, a fraud is a deception made for personal gain. ... Tort is a legal term that means civil wrong, as opposed to a criminal wrong. ... It has been suggested that civil trial be merged into this article or section. ... Wendys is a chain of fast food restaurants founded by Dave Thomas based in Dublin, Ohio and owned by the American corporation Wendys International, Inc. ... Nickname: Capital of Silicon Valley Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 3. ... The term felony is used for very serious crimes, whereas misdemeanors are considered to be less serious offenses. ... Larceny is a crime involving stealing. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History of lawsuits

In 1998, Ayala brought a lawsuit against her employer, San Jose-based La Oferta Review Newspaper Inc., for sexual harassment. The case was settled at an arbitration hearing in June 2002. 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... It has been suggested that civil trial be merged into this article or section. ... Nickname: Capital of Silicon Valley Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... Sexual harassment is harassment or unwelcome attention of a sexual nature. ... Arbitration is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, wherein the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons (the arbitrators or arbitral tribunal), by whose decision (the award) they agree to be bound. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

In 2000, she lost a suit against a San Jose car dealership, General Motors Corp., and Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, claiming that a wheel fell off her car. The suit was dismissed "with prejudice" (meaning it cannot be refiled) after she fired her attorney and failed to show up in court or submit paperwork. This article is about the year 2000. ... General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is an American automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ... The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. ... In law, the phrase without prejudice means that a claim, lawsuit, or proceeding has been brought to a temporary end but that no legal rights or privileges have been determined, waived, or lost by the result. ...

In 2004, Ayala claimed she had won a suit against fast-food restaurant chain El Pollo Loco in which she was awarded US$30,000 in damages for medical expenses after her daughter Genesis contracted salmonella poisoning from eating at one of their Las Vegas-area restaurants. In mid-April 2004, El Pollo Loco spokeswoman Julie Weeks disputed this, saying that the company reviewed her claim and paid her nothing. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A typical El Pollo Loco restaurant El Pollo Loco is a fast-food restaurant chain and Mexican grilled chicken franchise, and may be the first Latin-American franchise to branch into the United States market. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 3. ... In law, damages refers to the money paid or awarded to a claimant (as it is known in the UK) or plaintiff (in the US) following their successful claim in a civil action. ... Species S. enterica Salmonella arizonae Salmonella enteritidis Salmonella typhi Salmonella typhimurium Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped Gram-negative enterobacteria that causes typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever and foodborne illness. ... The skull and crossbones symbol traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The finger

On March 22, 2005, Ayala alleged that she had found an amputated human finger in her chili and sued Wendy's, a fast-food restaurant chain. After an investigation by the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office and San Jose Police Department, it was determined the finger did not come from a Wendy's employee, or from any employee at the facilities that provided ingredients in the chili. Though early reports suggested that the finger was "fully cooked," the Santa Clara County coroner's office initially concluded that the finger "was not consistent with an object that had been cooked in chili at 170 degrees for three hours."^[1] March 22 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (82nd in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Partial hand amputation For the song Amputations by Death Cab for Cutie, see You Can Play these Songs with Chords Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma (also referred to as avulsion) or surgery. ... A bowl of chili con carne with beans and tortilla chips Chili con carne (In America shortened to chili) is a spicy stew-like dish, the essential ingredients of which are beef, pork, venison, or other mature meat, and chili peppers. ... Location of Santa Clara County within California. ... Nickname: Capital of Silicon Valley Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ...

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigated the woman's home in Las Vegas, Nevada, in relation to the case, but what, if anything, was found was not immediately disclosed. Rumors ran rampant that Ayala had a dead aunt who might be related to the case, although she denied anyone recently passed on. Ayala claimed the police treated her and her family "like terrorists," acting against her violently, but neighbors downplayed the event. Later, it was also discovered the woman had filed numerous lawsuits against various retail establishments in recent years (see section above), adding another level of mystery to the case. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (also known as the LVMPD or Metro) is the joint city-county police force for the Las Vegas metropolitan area. ... Nickname: The Entertainment Capital of the World; Sin City Location of Las Vegas in Nevada Coordinates: County Clark Mayor Oscar B. Goodman(D) Area    - City 131. ...

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrested Ms. Ayala on April 21, 2005, taking her to the Clark County Detention Center. Ayala was charged with felony attempted grand larceny as well as grand theft. The grand theft charge is allegedly in connection with the fraudulent sale of a San Jose mobile home that Ayala did not own between September 2002 and November 2003; in reality it was owned by her live-in boyfriend, according to a statement filed by San Jose police Detective Albert Morales. The attempted grand larceny charge is connected to the Wendy's chili finger case; a penalty enhancement was issued for inflicting more than $2.5 million in losses on Wendy's as a result of plummeting sales. April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. ... The term felony is used for very serious crimes, whereas misdemeanors are considered to be less serious offenses. ... Larceny is a crime involving stealing. ... Grand theft is a felony crime in the United States defined as the theft of objects exceeding a certain monetary value, as set by statute or court ruling. ... A modern double-wide manufactured home. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Prosecutors portrayed Ayala as a scam artist with a penchant for filing lawsuits. Tests indicate that the finger had not been cooked in the chili, according to court records. They did not indicate where they thought the finger came from. A confidence trick, confidence game, or con for short, (also known as a scam) is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain. ...

At a press conference held in San Jose, California on April 22, 2005, local Wendy's franchise holder Joseph Desmond urged people to "please come back to Wendy's because we do serve wonderful hamburgers, shakes and everything else." Wendy's announced it would offer free Frosty shakes with any purchase to all Bay Area customers that weekend as a show of goodwill and commitment in the wake of its investigation. On May 10, Wendy's expanded its offer of free Junior-sized Frosties nationwide from May 13 to May 15, with no purchase required.^[2] April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image of two Frosty desserts The Frosty is the trademark frozen dairy dessert of Wendys fast-food restaurants. ... A strawberry milkshake 100 g corresponds to 95 ml. ... USGS Satellite photo of the San Francisco Bay Area. ...

On September 9, 2005, in San Jose, Ayala and her husband, Jaime Plascencia, pleaded guilty to conspiring to file a false claim and attempted grand theft. September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The finger identified

On May 13, 2005, police announced that they had identified the fingertip as belonging to Brian Paul Rossiter, an associate of Ayala's husband. Rossiter had lost his fingertip in an industrial accident at an asphalt company^[3] in December 2004. Police received the information from an undisclosed caller to the Wendy's hotline. May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sentencing

On January 18, 2006, Ayala was sentenced to nine years in state prison. Her husband Jaime Plascencia, who supplied the finger, was sentenced to 12 years, 4 months in prison.^[4] January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

External links

• Top 10 Actual Headlines in Wendy's Finger-in-Chili Coverage compiled by About.com
• Anna Ayala is arrested by Las Vegas police alleging grand larceny and attempted grand larceny (Associated Press)
• Getting The Finger on Snopes
• Anna Ayala on The Smoking Gun