St. Louis ? A Kansas woman who claims her buttocks were burned by cleaning fluid when she sat on a toilet seat at a Lake Saint Louis Denny’s restaurant has sued the chain and the franchise owner.

Kathleen Williams of Leavenworth County alleges in the suit filed Wednesday in St. Louis Circuit Court that she had to be taken to a hospital after she used the toilet in February 2002. According to the suit, she did not see the chemical cleaner on the seat but felt it burn when she sat down.

The suit said Williams, a nurse with the Army, suffered serious and permanent injuries.

“Sadly, as a result of the chemical injury, nerves were injured that create a sensation of pain 24 hours a day,” said Kansas attorney Pedro Irigonegaray.

Because of her injuries, he said Williams has to take pain medication and wear undergarments designed for burn victims.

The suit, which names Denny’s Corp. and Jomar Investments LLC, seeks more than $25,000 in damages. It alleges that Denny’s employees were negligent in their use of the chemicals and their failure to warn of the danger.

Jim Erkman, president of Jomar Investments, said he had not seen the lawsuit.

“I think it’s a little premature to comment on that,” he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Debbie Atkins, a spokeswoman for Denny’s Corp., told The Associated Press on Friday that the chain had not been served with the lawsuit.

“Since the lawsuit has been filed,” she said, “the facts will be addressed through the legal system.”