Judge to McDonald’s: Pay $17,500 For Making Your Employee Fat

  • Share
  • Read Later
Paulo Fridman/Bloomberg for Getty Images

Talk about an occupational hazard. A former manager of a McDonald’s franchise in Porto Allegre, Brazil, was awarded $17,500 as recompense for gaining 65 lbs. over 12 years on the job, the AP reports.

Judge Joao Filho ruled on the lawsuit brought against the company by the 32-year-old former employee on Oct. 26, declaring that McDonald’s should pay $17,500 because the employee ballooned from about 155 lbs. to 231 lbs. while working at the restaurant in southern Brazil. (More on Time.com: TIME’s Summer Journey — The Food Chain That Links Us All).

The plaintiff said that because McDonald’s hired undercover customers to randomly visit restaurants and report back on quality, he felt forced to taste everything on the menu to ensure the food was up to par. He said he was also given free lunches of burgers, fries and ice cream, which contributed to his excessive weight gain during the course of employment.

The judge agreed, apparently, but said that McDonald’s could appeal the ruling. The company said it’s contemplating its options. (More on Time.com: Top 10 Worst Fast-Food Meals).

Healthland thinks the case makes at least one thing clear: McDonald’s obviously needs to do a better job of advertising those Apple Dippers.

[Via AP]

More on Time.com:

The ‘Other’ Salt: 5 Foods Rich in Potassium

Photos: From Farm to Fork

Study: Obese Workers Cost Employers $73 Billion Per Year