A Staten Island woman is suing her former state college after allegedly swallowing a “sharp piece of metal rivet” hidden inside a sandwich purchased at a campus dining venue.
Barbara Esposito-Mattera, 22, claims she ingested the metal after ordering a sub from Yella’s at SUNY Delhi, a campus in the Catskills, in September 2025.
At the time, Esposito-Mattera was a senior studying environmental studies. She had ordered the restaurant’s “Benny Brown,” made with sliced steak, sautéed onions, mozzarella and gravy.
According to a lawsuit filed in Staten Island Supreme Court on Sept. 18, the meal took a painful turn when she allegedly bit into the metal object.
Esposito-Mattera alleges that the piece of hardware caused severe and permanent injuries.
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The lawsuit names the College Association at Delhi, the nonprofit responsible for managing the college’s dining services, and Sodexo, Yella’s food-licensing partner. She accuses the organizations of serving food that was unfit for human consumption.
She is seeking unspecified damages.
Esposito-Mattera declined to comment. Her attorney, John Januas, along with the College Association at Delhi and Sodexo, did not respond to requests for comment.
The alleged incident comes roughly six months after a Florida woman was awarded $14 million after eating ice cream containing metal nails, an episode that left her infertile.
