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An animal rights group filed a lawsuit against two local San Diego restaurants for allegedly selling foie gras despite a ban on the dish's sale in California establishments, according to NBC7. The suit was filed Friday, February 18, in San Diego Superior Court by the Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL).
According to the APRL, foie gras is made by placing metal pipes into the throats of ducks and force-feeding them, causing their livers to swell up to 12 times their normal size. The group alleges that Miser A's in Bankers Hill and Mille Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe have been illegally selling the dish.
Neither restaurant has commented on the suit yet.
The attorney representing APRL in the suit, Byran Pease, said the group has held protests outside of both restaurants over the years, which resulted in both eateries taking the dish off their menus only to "quietly re-add it back to the menu later when they thought no one was looking."
According to NBC7, the state's ban was recently challenged by foie gras producers from other states. In 2020, a federal judge ruled that the ban would remain in place for restaurants and retailers but customers could purchase foie gras from out of state and have it delivered to them.