Family win $100,000 in settlement after being accused of not paying $200 bill
Topics: UK News, Food and Drink, Crime, Court
Liv Bridge
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/The Horse And Jockey
Topics: UK News, Food and Drink, Crime, Court
A family has been awarded a hefty settlement after being accused in a social media post of skipping out on paying a $200 bill.
Peter and Ann McGirr, along with their children Peter Jr. and Carol, were blasted all over social media - for a crime they didn't commit.
Managers at the Horse & Jockey pub in Derbyshire, UK, accused the wealthy Irish family of 'shocking behaviour', stating that they 'dined and dashed' in a now-deleted Facebook post, which included CCTV footage of the four, reports Daily Mail.
The post claimed they had left the bar without paying for their meals and drinks, including ribeye steaks, gammon steaks and real ales and lagers, amounting to $200.
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Local news outlets picked up on the story when the footage went viral, however, the family who reportedly run a successful engineering firm, and are known to be one of the richest families in their local area, maintained their innocence and took the restaurant to Belfast Crown Court earlier this month.
The court heard how the family did in fact settle the tab, as it later transpired that a member of staff had failed to put the transaction through the till.
The family sued the pub for libel, stating they suffered significant embarrassment and reputational damage from the 'serious and defamatory accusations.'
Peter Girvan, the barrister representing the family, said of news reports about the pub's claims: "These articles contained serious and defamatory accusations that the plaintiffs had engaged in dishonest and criminal conduct by deliberately absconding without settling a bill of approximately £150 ($200).
"The allegations were entirely false. The plaintiffs had not engaged in any such conduct, and the statements made by the defendants had no factual basis."
The pub agreed to pay out £75,000 (approximately $99,500) in damages to the McGirrs, as well as their legal costs, as part of the settlement.
Management also apologized for the apparent blunder and accepted there was 'no basis whatsoever' for what transpired.
The McGirrs' attorney Darragh Carney celebrated the news, saying they had been 'vindicated' and 'very satisfied with the settlement' as compensation.
The result comes as the pub last year recognized its slip and publicly apologized for its error, claiming an 'inexperienced member of staff' had made an 'honest mistake.'
It is believed the employee had taken a card payment but had not printed the bill through the till.
The statement made by the Horse & Jockey's landlord Sam Watson read: "We want to sincerely apologise to the people involved because we have now learnt that they did in fact pay for their meal.
"There was no dishonesty involved from our staff, it was an honest mistake but we have dismissed the member of staff responsible for the error."
Watson reportedly even flew out to Ireland to offer the family a free meal, but they turned it down in a bid to pursue the lawsuit.
The McGirrs are also happy with the outcome, with Carol taking to her own Facebook to share the news.
She wrote: "10 months later.. thank god it's all over and our names are cleared.
"Tip for all our friends and family: don't pay for your food and drink before you eat as this is what can happen.. plus use a card otherwise we had [sic] no evidence of payment."
LADbible Group has contacted The Horse and Jockey for comment.