A Houston man who says he was stabbed several times by a Domino’s delivery driver is fighting to keep his lawsuit alive, arguing the pizza chain knowingly hired a worker it previously rejected after uncovering his violent criminal history.
Domino’s filed a motion in June asking a Harris County judge to dismiss the lawsuit before it reaches trial. A hearing on the request is scheduled for Monday, July 20, after mediation failed to resolve the case.
According to Chadi and his wife Carina Mezayek’s lawsuit, Domino’s rehired their alleged attacker, Jeremy Russell, in 2024 despite previously rejecting him in 2022 after a background check revealed prior violent felony convictions.
Domino’s, however, argues it bears no legal responsibility because Russell was acting outside the scope of his employment when he attacked Mezayek, even though plaintiffs say he was making a delivery— carrying two pizzas— when the confrontation occurred.
The hiring manager admitted under oath that she misread Russell’s background report and mistakenly interpreted “felon in possession of a weapon” as simply a felony weapons charge rather than recognizing it meant he was already a convicted felon, according to the plaintiffs’ court filing.
In their response to Domino’s motion, the plaintiffs argue company employees even testified Russell should never have been hired based on the information the company already had.
Plaintiffs also argue Domino’s failed to connect Russell’s 2024 application with his earlier rejected application, despite records indicating he was reapplying for the same position. According to the filing, Russell also disclosed during the hiring process that he had previously failed a background check.
The lawsuit stems from a Nov. 23, 2024, confrontation in downtown Houston. According to the original petition, Russell was delivering pizzas by e-bike when he got into an altercation with Chadi and Carina Mezayek while they were walking home from dinner. The lawsuit alleges Russell stabbed Chadi nine times before fleeing.
“I want to see policy changes and hope that this doesn’t happen to anyone else because of Domino’s failure to follow procedures and hire a known criminal,” Chadi Mezayek said in a statement provided to Chron.
Attorney Omar Chawdhary, who represents the couple, said the case extends beyond one violent encounter.
“Domino’s decision to hire a known violent criminal created a ticking time bomb for someone in Houston to be harmed.”
If the judge denies Domino’s motion for summary judgment at Monday’s hearing, the negligence lawsuit would continue toward trial.