Jury awards $6.1 million in McDonald's strip search case

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CNN

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Kentucky (AP) -- A jury awarded $6.1 million Friday to a woman who said she was forced to strip in a McDonald's back office after someone called the restaurant posing as a police officer.

Louise Ogborn, 21, sued McDonald's Corp., claiming the fast-food giant failed to warn her and other employees about the caller who already struck other McDonald's stores and other fast-food restaurants across the country.

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In the lawsuit, she said someone called the restaurant in Mount Washington impersonating a police officer and gave a description of a young, female employee, accusing her of stealing from a customer. The caller demanded the woman be strip searched.

Ogborn was forced to undress, endure a strip search, and to perform sexual acts, the lawsuit said. The events were captured on surveillance video, which was shown to jurors during the trial.

A former assistant manager, Donna Summers, was placed on probation for a misdemeanor conviction in relation to the incident. Her former fiance, Walter Nix Jr., is serving five years in prison for sexually abusing Ogborn during the 3½-hour search.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/10/05/strip.search.ap/index.html

[yellowcanine]

1. "forced to perform sexual acts?" Former fiance involved?

Whoa, this is some weird shit. Next you'll be telling me her brother took the pictures.

[RamboLiberal]

4. More on this case was posted in this GD thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1977357

[Scairp]

12. It's almost that bad

And although I feel terrible for this victim, even at the age she was at the time, if my boss had taken me into a room and told me to strip because someone claiming to be a cop called on the phone and gave those instructions, I wouldn't have removed my shoes, let alone any clothing. I have seen this story a number of times and I still do not understand why she did any of it. As for that dumbass manager, you'd think most adults would have known that cops don't call Mcdonald's managers and have them do something like have an employee strip to her bare skin at the restaurant. As the adult in charge at that business she had the responsibility to do her very best to ensure the safety of everyone, patron and employee alike. She has to be the biggest moran in the world. And that boyfriend of hers! What a sick fuck he was in all this. Why she would involve him when he didn't even work there is beyond me. I just hate that this happened in Kentucky. It makes all native born Kentuckians (such as yours truly), look like stereotypical stupid hillbillies to everyone else.

[LisaL]

18. And there was guy tried

for allegedly making these phone calls, and he was found not guilty.

[w4rma]

20. Fiance of the former assistant manager, not the victim. (nt)

[Mojorabbit]

2. this is what happens

when you make it ok for the population to be searched. The youngsters get used to it and don't question authority. It scares the crap out of me.

[onehandle]

3. "(McDonald's) contended the company was being sued because of its deep pockets."

No kidding. Pay up, clown.

[bluestateguy]

5. I wonder what she's going to do with the money

Don't get me wrong, the verdict and the judgment seem appropriate. What happened to her was an intolerable outrage.

But I still wonder what she will do with her newfound wealth.

[sasquatch]

7. Pay for a college education hopefully

[razors edge]

9. I would buy the franchise

and bulldoze it, if they refused to sell I would buy all adjoining property and post billboards describing the incident until they went out of business.

Then buy the empty building and bulldoze it.

[rocktivity]

14. She sure won't have to settle for taking any McJobs!

rocknation

[ElsewheresDaughter]

6. here is the youtube news clip of the strip search

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqUm-Zk3_Ws

[Progressive Friend]

16. God, this country is rotten to the core

I can't think of much else to say after seeing that video.

[AX10]

8. This is intolerable!

Bastard!

:mad:

[pepperbear]

10. uhm, elephant in the room.....

WHAT IS A CORPORATION DOING STRIP SEARCHING ANYBODY? this would be intolerable if it were the police, but it was a fast food restaurant.

[ContraBass Black]

13. It wasn't the corporation, it was the manager and her boyfriend.

[rocktivity]

15. The manager worked for the corporation

and the corporation has a track record of receiving such calls and should have done a better job of informing management about them. As her lawyer said, McDonald's manages to inform their franchises "when they're running they're running a "McRib special." They should have settled.

:headbang:
rocknation

[LisaL]

17. I can't understand as to why Mcdonald's didn't settle this one

either. Did they really think the jury would rule in their favor?

[pepperbear]

23. I should clarify....

why would any agency of a corporation think it would be OK to perform a strip search? why not call the police if something is suspicious?

[RavensChick]

11. I am SO glad she won!

Those assholes will probably appeal, but I would suggest to her to use the money wisely (should the judgement be upheld). Besides going to college, she should invest some of the money but a lot of her time into a lecture circuit and tell all young girls about her situation, so that no other girl goes through the hell she experienced.

[Pharlo]

22. Hopefully, she can find a college willing

to allow her the opportunity to enter an accredited program.

Fortunately for her, colleges are becoming more like the whoremongering corporate world and placing less emphasis on actual merit.

(Yes, I'm being sarcastic, but you have to admit, any right thinking college acceptance board would be wary of accepting this young woman.)

[Toots]

19. I can't believe she only got six million dollars

We are spending a hundred thousand dollars a minute on Iraq. Her humiliation is only worth one hour of Iraq spending :crazy:..She should have received at least fifty million IMO..

[Tansy_Gold]

21. Appeals court will probably reduce the award the way

they did in the Stella Liebeck hot coffee case. Liebeck was originally awarded $2.2 million in punitive damages (2 days' coffee sales in 1994) on top of $600K civil damages by jury, but appeal lowered it to something in the neighborhood of a total of $200K.