Brad Otton -- Ex-USC Quarterback in Crazy Pizza Lawsuit

After Otton left SC, he opened a chain of restaurants called Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana (the pizza's actually pretty damn good).

But back in 2011, a woman named Belinda Fischer says she was badly injured at his Pasadena location -- and she's pointing the finger at a "drop, a deceptive and hidden step" that caused her to fall.

According to the suit, filed in L.A. County Superior Court, Belinda says ... "as [her] foot encountered this sudden drop she lost her balance as her body was forced down to the ground."

Translation -- she ate s**t, hard.

Fischer says Otton and the restaurant knew about the dangerous step and should have fixed it before she went down.

Fischer is suing for unspecified damages -- but it's clear she's looking for a big payday, claiming she's got some serious medical bills to pay.