Former Hooters Waitress Settles Toy Yoda Lawsuit

The Associated Press ^ | May 9, 2002 | AP staff

[jpthomas]

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - A former waitress has settled a lawsuit against Hooters, which she said promised to award her a new Toyota but instead gave her a toy Yoda.

An attorney for Jodee Berry said Wednesday that he could not immediately disclose the settlement's details.

"She's satisfied with it," said the attorney, David Noll. He did say that Berry can now go to a local car dealership and "pick out whatever type of Toyota she wants."

Berry, 27, won a beer sales contest in last May at the Panama City Beach Hooters. She believed she had won a new Toyota car.

She was blindfolded and led to the restaurant parking lot, but when the blindfold was removed, she found she was the winner of a toy Yoda Star Wars doll.

Berry quit the restaurant a week later and filed a lawsuit in August against Gulf Coast Wings, Inc., the corporate owner of the local Hooters, alleging breach of contract and fraudulent misrepresentation.

The restaurant's manager, Jared Blair, has said the whole contest was an April Fools' joke.

This settlement is unusual in that Hooters did not ask for a sweeping confidentiality agreement, Noll said.

"I think that's a recognition of the fact that there's been such an amazing amount of attention focused on this case," he said. "There's not a whole lot of reason to try to hide its existence."

AP-ES-05-09-02 0155EDT

[jpthomas]

[aomagrat]

Some people have no sense of humor.

[Rodney King]

Strange. Hooters girls are usually hot.

[NYCVirago]

Good. I'm glad she is going to get her car, and I hope they also fired whoever came up with this idiotic contest idea in the first place.

[NYCVirago]

Berry, 27, won a beer sales contest in last May at the Panama City Beach Hooters. The restaurant's manager, Jared Blair, has said the whole contest was an April Fools' joke.

Oh, is April Fool's Day now April Fool's Months?

[Shermy]

I remember this story...wonder why...

Here's a link from last year.

Judge Says Hooters Waitress Can Sue

She has a good case. The managers made her work extra hard to make them more money. Then they reneged on the prize - they thought it was funny.

[goldstategop]

I think she deserved the car. If they made a promise it didn't give them the right to go back on it, April Fools' Day or no April Fools' Day.

[csvset]

She's hot under the collar here. Perhaps her new car pic is kinder.

[umgud]

To hell with the beef.......where's the hooters? Her cup don't exactly runneth over.

[Springman]

The pic looks like it was taken a her lawyer's office, so she wasn't using her War Paint for work. She just looks P.O.ed. I am happy she got a good settlement(sp?) out of it.

[aomagrat]

She has a good case. The managers made her work extra hard to make them more money. Then they reneged on the prize - they thought it was funny.

I think it's pretty funny too. BTW, I wonder what her lawyer got?

[Springman]

You must not go to Hooter's. They only want skinny women working there, NO HOOTERS AT ALL!

[marshmallow]

This is totally in keeping with the infantile "you suck" type humor which is constantly displayed on the Hooters sign outside the local establishment.

Usually some unfunny sophomoric one-liner which one of the resident imbeciles has dreamed up.

A vulgar establishment.

[Hodar]

An attorney for Jodee Berry said Wednesday that he could not immediately disclose the settlement's details. "She's satisfied with it," said the attorney, David Noll. He did say that Berry can now go to a local car dealership and "pick out whatever type of Toyota she wants."

This implies that the settlement was far more money than merely a new car. Good for her. When a company takes advantage of employee's like this, they should get taken to the cleaners... hopefully, she can now retire with the surplus.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

ANOTHER REASON TO BAN LAWSUITS!Make a wild accusation,you don't even have to prove it and literally clean up.I would love these lawsuits forced to a complete trial and when the lies come out,PUT EM IN JAIL!

[Digger]

It seems that the best course would have been to give her a car after the incident. Chalk it up to stupidity from both parties. Why did a scumbag lawyer need a cut? Gawd, I hate attorneys.

[wi jd]

They only want skinny women working there,

And the problem with that is . . .?

[wi jd]

ANOTHER REASON TO BAN LAWSUITS!Make a wild accusation,you don't even have to prove it and literally clean up.I would love these lawsuits forced to a complete trial and when the lies come out,PUT EM IN JAIL!

What was the wild accusation?

What lies were told?

Pray tell.

[Vast Buffalo Wing Conspiracy]

So she gets the Toyota after all....does this mean she has to return the toy Yoda? :-)

[AdA$tra]

Gawd, I hate attorneys.

I know one or two that are ok. Well maybe one....aw...well, maybe one that's sorta ok.