Chattanooga Patrons Sue Taco Bell, Allege Drive‑Thru Employee Assaults, Seek $2M

Two Chattanooga patrons have sued Taco Bell of America LLC and several related parties, alleging employees at a Chattanooga restaurant physically attacked them when they attempted to order at a drive‑thru window on foot in March 2025 and seeking $2,000,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.

The complaint was filed March 2, 2026 in Tennessee Circuit Court, Hamilton County under the case name Robinson v. Taco Bell of America LLC, case number 26C360. Plaintiffs are identified as Austin Robinson and Curtis Robinson Jr. The filing lists plaintiff counsel as the law firm Warren & Griffin.

The law summary attached to the docket lists Taco Bell of America LLC as the primary corporate defendant and references a franchisee identified as Tacala plus individual defendants described as Brandon Skiles + 6. The complaint asserts causes of action including assault, battery, negligent supervision, negligent hiring, and property and premises liability claims under the personal‑injury heading.

According to the short summary on the docket, the alleged attack occurred in March 2025 when the plaintiffs approached the restaurant’s drive‑thru window on foot to place an order. The complaint alleges the plaintiffs suffered “serious injuries” as a result of the employees’ conduct; the materials supplied to this report do not specify the nature of those injuries, whether police were called, or whether surveillance or medical records accompany the filing.

The suit seeks a total of $2,000,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. Beyond the docket entries, the supplied materials do not include direct statements from plaintiffs, Warren & Griffin, Taco Bell of America LLC, the named franchisee, or any individual defendant. The court docket number 26C360 and Hamilton County Circuit Court are the identifiers listed for obtaining the full complaint and any attached exhibits such as video, photos, police reports, or medical records.

This Tennessee filing is distinct from other high‑profile lawsuits involving Taco Bell locations. Separate litigation in Dallas involved plaintiffs Brittany Davis and a minor identified as C.T., with attorneys Ben Crump and Paul A. Grinke alleging a manager poured boiling water on customers; that 2022 suit sought more than $1 million and relied in part on surveillance footage. An unrelated 2016 Salt Lake City matter involved an employee, Duane Massie, charged with aggravated assault after an on‑site altercation with a customer at 621 E. 400 South.

The Chattanooga docket’s inclusion of a named franchisee reference and multiple individual defendants frames the Robinson complaint as raising both individual employee liability and franchise or corporate oversight questions, given the claims of negligent hiring and supervision. The full complaint and exhibits in case no. 26C360 will be necessary to assess the factual support for the plaintiffs’ allegations and the extent of the claimed injuries.