Paqui One Chip Challenge Lawsuit: What We Know

The Paqui One Chip Challenge is back in the news after the family of a deceased teen filed a lawsuit against the snack company, claiming that its viral social media challenge caused the death of the boy. The Massachusetts-based family did not disclose how much they were suing the company for. Let’s take a look at what else we know about this tragic incident.

Paqui One Chip Challenge: A Viral Social Media Challenge

Harris Wolobah of Worcester, Massachusetts, died back in September 2023 after participating in the viral social media challenge.

In the Paqui One Chip Challenge, the ultra-spicy chip, which was sold for $10 in a single skull-adorned package, was encouraged to be eaten and the reaction to its spiciness was to be recorded for social media. Following Wolobah’s death, allegedly from the Paqui One Chip Challenge, the Hershey subsidiary pulled the chip from store shelves.

Wolobah had a congenital cardiac problem and died from consuming a significant amount of chili pepper extract, according to an autopsy conducted after the teen’s passing.

According to the Chief Office of the Medical Examiner’s postmortem, Harris died of cardiac arrest “in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration.” The ingredient that gives chili peppers their heat is called capsaicin. Harris also had cardiomegaly, or an enlarged heart, and a congenital condition known as “myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery,” according to the autopsy, per NPR.

Douglas Sheff, one of the family’s attorneys, stated, “Today we filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of this wonderful family for the loss of their beloved son, Harris.” The action was filed in Suffolk Superior Court. The case asks the court to rule in favor of a judgment that includes punitive damages.

Sheff claimed that the lawsuit claimed Walgreens sold the “poisonous chip” to youngsters and that the Paqui One Chip Challenge and the company’s encouragement of people to share videos of themselves eating it on social media produced “a perfect storm” that resulted in Wolobah’s death.

According to the autopsy, Harris Wolobah was born with a congenital condition known as “myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery,” which is an enlarged heart. Sheff, however, insisted that was unrelated to his demise.

He declared, “The chip is what killed him.”

$10 for a Life

“The defendants charged about $10 for each chip, $10 for the chip that killed Harris, $10 for his life,” Sheff continued. “Isn’t it clear that these defendants knew full well that this chip was unreasonably dangerous? And isn’t this an obvious marketing campaign designed to attract kids to that very danger?”

In addition to expressing its sorrow over Wolobah’s passing, Texas-based Paqui noted that the chip had “clear and prominent labeling highlighting that the product was not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or with underlying health conditions.”

Children happily participated in the Paqui One Chip Challenge despite the warning, and complaints of youths becoming ill after partaking in the chip-eating challenge surfaced nationwide. Among them were seven kids in Minnesota who had paramedic treatment after participating in the challenge in 2022, and three high school students from California who were sent to a hospital.

People sharing videos of themselves or their friends accepting the Paqui One Chip Challenge on social media seemed to be a major factor in the chip’s sales. They displayed individuals—including kids—opening the box, devouring the chips, and then responding to the warmth. Numerous instances of people getting unwell after eating the chip are cited in the lawsuit, along with recordings showing people gasping, coughing, and pleading for water.

Following Wolobah’s passing, medical professionals and Massachusetts authorities issued a warning, stressing the potential for unforeseen effects from consuming foods this hot. Poison control centers have warned since the chip craze started that the concentrated amount could result in allergic responses, breathing difficulties, irregular heartbeats, and even heart attacks or strokes.