An Oregon woman claims she discovered what appeared to be the fingertip of a rubber glove—and possibly a human finger—inside a bottle of orange juice purchased from a Trader Joe’s store in Northeast Portland, according to court documents cited in a newly reported complaint.
The lawsuit centers on a 52-ounce bottle of orange juice the woman says she bought last June from the Trader Joe’s location on NE Halsey Street in Portland. According to reporting based on the filing, the woman says she was drinking the orange juice when she “felt like there was a large piece of pulp in her mouth.” At first, she assumed natural fruit pulp commonly found in unfiltered juice caused it
However, according to the legal action, she later discovered it was actually the end of a rubber glove fingertip. She further alleged it “might have also contained the end of a human finger,” though that detail has not been independently verified.
She felt nauseous — we would, too
The complaint states that the experience left the woman feeling nauseous and caused a burning sensation in her mouth. She later sought treatment at an urgent care facility, according to the filing. The lawsuit seeks $10,000 in damages from Trader Joe’s, along with attorney’s fees, though the case has not yet reached any resolution or settlement.
At this stage, the case remains in the early legal process. No court has determined what the object actually was, and investigators have not confirmed whether it was human tissue, part of a glove, or another foreign material. The parties are still evaluating the allegations in litigation, and authorities have not publicly disclosed any independent forensic confirmation.
Media outlets contacted Trader Joe’s regarding the allegations. As of the latest reporting, the company has not responded. The company has also not publicly confirmed or denied the specific claims in the lawsuit, and it has not issued a recall or broader product warning connected to the incident.
In a separate case, frozen pizza products sold at Trader Joe’s were recently part of a recall after reports of possible metal fragments or shards in the food. Investigators traced the issue to an ingredient used in production, prompting the manufacturer to pull more than 25,000 cases from shelves. Authorities advised consumers not to eat affected items and to return or discard them. No one was injured.
For now, the orange juice case remains ongoing in Oregon, with the court yet to schedule any major rulings or settlement discussions. The outcome will likely depend on whether investigators can definitively identify the object and determine how it entered the product, and whether they substantiate the claims. As the lawsuit moves forward, consumers are watching closely for further developments, especially any official statements from Trader Joe’s or updated findings from health or safety investigators.
