A jury in Tennessee has awarded a man $9 million after he was served cleaning liquid instead of water by a server at a Cracker Barrel in 2014.
"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," the victim's attorney Thomas Greer said in a press release.
Greer said his victim was dining at the restaurant in April 2014 when his waitress accidentally refilled his glass with a mixture of water and Eco-San.
The restaurant "used unmarked water pitchers to mix water and Eco-San, and then soaked parts of the soda machine in that mixture to clean them," Greer said.
According to the press release, Greer said his client went to the emergency room for treatment and later developed gastrointestinal issues, including cramping and reflux pain after meals.
However, NBC News and CBS News reported that the victim, identified as William Cronnon, might not get to see the total award.
Under Tennessee law, there is a $750,000 cap on economic damages.
The news outlets reported that Cracker Barrel "strongly disagreed" with the verdict, and were considering their options.
