Little Caesars Lawyer: Lawsuit Over Halal Pizza 'Frivolous'

DEARBORN (WWJ/AP) — Little Caesars is firing back in a dispute with a Muslim man over halal pizza at a Detroit-area location.

Attorney J. Michael Huget says the man ordered a pepperoni pizza without pork in Dearborn but then switched his order to a hot-and-ready pizza. He says pizzas that are available for instant purchase typically aren't halal.

Mohamad Bazzi is suing the pizza chain. Halal refers to meals that follow Islamic custom and don't contain pork.

Huget said Friday that Bazzi's lawsuit is "frivolous" and has "serious factual errors."

Bazzi's attorney, Majed Moughni, says he's not backing down and will be adding more customers to the lawsuit. Dearborn has a large Muslim population.

[View a copy of the lawsuit]

Mohamad Bazzi says he ordered halal pizza twice from a pizza shop on Schaefer in Dearborn. He claims the boxes were labeled "halal," but the pizzas inside were topped with regular pepperoni.

Halal is the Muslim equivalent of Judaism's kosher, and requires that meat be prepared according to Islamic guidelines, such as reciting a prayer while the animal is killed. Halal pepperoni is typically made with beef.