Beware Of Mice With Large Paws
 Wednesday, May 20th, 2009  by Rick W.

Is there nothing sacred any more? I mean really!!! Next time you check your local list for sex offenders you might find a familiar face from your childhood days of innocence. Yes, it is true. (GASP!!) A woman has filed a lawsuit against Chuck E Cheese, claiming the beloved mouse character at a child-themed restaurant put his paws where they didn't belong. It seems we now know that Chuck E Cheese is a breast man.

Jennifer Sorbello, 22, of Arnold, Missouri filed a suit on Tuesday, April 28th accusing a man (William Thigpen) dressed in the mascot costume, of groping her chest. In other words, the mouse allegedly copped a feel. The suit, filed in St. Louis County Court, alleges the cheesy act happened August 2nd, 2008, at the restaurant at 720 South County Center Way in Arnold. The Irving, Texas based company and William Thigpen have yet to comment on the lawsuit.

"He looked at her, reached out, grabbed her breast and moved along," said Mark Potashnick, Sorbello's attorney. "Her jaw dropped in shock and disgust." It appears that her stepfather captured the incident in a photo but didn't know it until after they reviewed the pictures, her lawyer stated. (Yeah, they didn't develop the pictures for several months.)

Jennifer is accusing Thigpen and the restaurant of assault, battery and discrimination in public accommodation. She's asking for unspecified compensation, including punitive damages and attorney's costs. Potashnick said his client did not know Thigpen. According to the suit, Thigpen was greeting patrons when he touched Sorbello. "As a direct result of Thigpen's conduct," the suit reads, "[Sorbello] has been damaged in the form of emotional distress and humiliation."

Chuck E Cheese pizza restaurants are geared primarily toward kids. Each Chuck E Cheese restaurant has a large arcade game room where kids routinely spend tokens to win prizes. The restaurant will book birthday parties for children and features an array of cartoon characters performing music and dance. Chuck E is "The Main Cheese" and an employee will usually mingle with the kids as Chuck E in full costume.

Now, come on folks. This writer does not condone sexual misconduct in any way. But we are talking about a guy in a costume with limited vision. Plus, with all that padding in his paws I doubt he would feel a thing. And why did it take 8 months to file the suit? No police report? Seems a little cheesy to me. So if you are thinking of a career as a costumed cartoon character, make sure you have plenty of liability insurance and maintain a no-touch, no-hug policy.

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