STONE COLD BUSTED:

Woman won't sue over finger in chili (Linda Goldston, 4/13/05, KNIGHT RIDDER)

The Las Vegas woman who said she found a 1 1/2-inch chunk of finger in a bowl of chili at a San Jose Wendy's has decided not to pursue legal action against the restaurant chain, and her attorney has withdrawn from the case.

But Anna Ayala's decision does not end the police investigation into how the finger got into the chili. In a strange twist, the news came on the same day the Mercury News learned of a late February incident in Pahrump, Nev., in which a spotted leopard bit off part of a finger -- about 1 1/2-inch worth -- of a woman who had been keeping the exotic cat and other animals.

The finger was reportedly not reattached, and San Jose police said they are investigating whether it is linked to the case.

Jeffrey Janoff, the San Jose attorney who represented Ayala until Tuesday, said his client was dropping her claim against Wendy's because ``this has caused her great emotional distress and continues to be difficult emotionally.''

John Edwards will take the case.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 13, 2005 12:03 PM