Los Angeles: Suit claims restaurants didn’t warn about fish

California sued companies that own 16 of the nation’s best-known restaurant chains for allegedly failing to warn customers that some seafood they sell contains potentially harmful mercury.

Lawsuits filed Thursday in Los Angeles and San Francisco superior courts claim that restaurants such as Chili’s, Red Lobster and Cheesecake Factory were not following Proposition 65 guidelines. The guidelines require businesses to post warnings when they expose people to carcinogens.

They claim the restaurants serve fresh or frozen swordfish, tuna or shark, which contain enough mercury compounds to trigger the law’s provisions. The state is seeking an injunction requiring the restaurants to post warnings, as well as civil penalties of $2,500 per day for each violation.