A man from B.C., who falsely accused Starbucks of injuring him with a coat hook last year, has now filed a dispute against a prominent Vancouver bakery franchise.
MB filed a dispute with the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal against Terra Breads, claiming that the bread he consumed contained a wood fragment, damaging his teeth and gums.
He claimed $5,000 in dental expenses and other damages.
Terra Breads denied the accusation and asked the tribunal to dismiss the claims. MB represented himself, while Terra Breads was represented by its president.
According to the facts in the dispute, MB bought a loaf of bread at a local retailer on April 29, 2023. He told the tribunal that when he ate the bread, he suddenly bit into a hard object. He claimed that he removed the object from his mouth, discovering it was a piece of wood.
He provided the tribunal with photos of the wood he claimed was in the bread. The tribunal analyzed it and said it was a close-up photo and impossible to determine how big the piece of wood was, as no other objects were in the photo to offer scale for reference. He also provided photos of the bread loaf.
The tribunal said that in order for MB to succeed in his claim, he would have to show that he suffered damages and that the Vancouver-based bakery breached its duty of care.
“Based on the parties’ evidence, I find that I do not need to determine whether the bread contained a piece of wood,” the tribunal member overseeing the decision said.
“I say this because even if I accept that there was a piece of wood in the bread, I find [MB] has not proven that the wood caused his claimed damages.”
MB told the tribunal that he visited a local clinic, which examined him and prescribed two types of medicated mouthwash. However, he didn’t claim a specific amount for the mouthwash or provide a receipt showing he bought it.
He did provide a prescription dated May 3, 2023, but he wasn’t able to provide any records or other evidence to suggest the mouthwash was prescribed because of the alleged wood.
MB also claimed the wood chipped one of his teeth and also damaged a tooth that had a previous root canal, but didn’t provide any evidence that the damage was caused by the wood, like a statement from the dentist or dental records.
The tribunal did not accept that the bakery was responsible for his dental damage or expenses.
MB also claimed that he has anxiety when consuming bread or similar foods and “has lost confidence in food safety.” He also said he experienced emotional distress because of Terra’s lack of acknowledgement or apology.
The tribunal said that even if the product contained wood, MB did not prove that the wood caused his claimed damages.
The tribunal dismissed all claims against the Vancouver bakery.
In 2025, the same person filed a dispute against Starbucks, claiming that a coat hook under a table left a scar and caused pain and suffering. He also claimed $5,000 in damages in that dispute. The tribunal dismissed that claim because he wasn’t able to prove that he was injured at Starbucks.
Another noteworthy piece of info is that someone with the same name as the person named in these tribunal cases was arrested by New Westminster police back in 2022.