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William Cronnon was dining at a Cracker Barrel in Tennessee in April 2014 for lunch when a waitress accidentally refilled his glass with a mixture of water and Eco-San, a commercial-grade bleach, according to a lawsuit and press release by Cronnon’s attorney. Ultimately he was awarded more than $9 million in a jury trial.
“Plaintiff ingested what he thought was ice water, only to immediately realize that it was not ice water, but was some chemical that caused a burning sensation in his mouth and esophagus,” according to the lawsuit, which was shared online by local news station WTVC of Chattanooga.
“It was later discovered that the server who attended to the Plaintiff on that occasion actually served the Plaintiff a chemical, caustic substance that was being used as a cleaner in the kitchen area, which substance is known as Eco-San.”
The case went to trial where a jury awarded Cronnon compensatory damages totaling $4.3 million and punitive damages of $5 million.
It’s unlikely Cronnon will get to keep the full amount awarded due to a state law that puts a cap on economic damages. His attorney told the news station that the amount will likely be lowered to a little over $6 million.