WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (CBRL) has been ordered to pay $9.4 million as compensation to a man after he was served chemical instead of water.
A jury in Marion County, Tennessee, ordered Cracker Barrel to pay William Cronnon $9.4 million after the company was found to be at fault for serving him a glass filled the chemical Eco-San, which is used to clean the soda machine, instead of water.
'The jury returned a verdict for compensatory damages of $4.3 million in just 30 minutes -- one of the fastest verdicts we have ever seen -- and awarded punitive damages of $5 million after only 10 minutes of additional deliberation,' Cronnon's attorney Thomas Greer told CNN.
'The speed of the verdict, combined with an amount in excess of what we asked, speaks to just how dangerous the Cracker Barrel policy was,' Greer said.
Meanwhile, Cracker Barrel said it was 'disappointed' with the award.
'While we have great respect for the legal process, we are obviously disappointed by and strongly disagree with the jury's award in this case, which involved an unfortunate and isolated incident that occurred at one of our stores eight years ago,' Cracker Barrel Media Relations said in a statement.
'Although we are considering our options with respect to this verdict, we are glad this matter is behind us so we can better focus on caring for our guests and employees around the country,' it added.
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