McDonald's Strip Search Victim Gets $6.1M

(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, had 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.

Ogborn had been seeking $200 million. McDonald's Corp. attorneys argued the company was not responsible and contended the company was being sued because of its deep pockets.

Ogborn hugged relatives after the verdict was read.

"Louise has stood up for what happened to her and what McDonald's failed to do for three-and-a-half years, and this jury just vindicated her completely," said her attorney, Ann Oldfather.

McDonald's is evaluating whether to appeal the decision, a spokesman said.

"While we are disappointed with the verdict, we remain vigilant in our efforts to protect our employees and provide them with a safe and respectful workplace," said William Whitman, a spokesman for McDonald's USA.

Ogborn accused the company of negligence leading up to the events in April 2004, when she was detained for 3½ hours.

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 instructed an employee to strip search the woman, according to testimony.

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.

A Florida man, David Stewart, was charged with making the hoax phone call but acquitted last summer. Police have said the calls stopped after Stewart's arrest.

[wubadub]

Shame on all of you who are passing judgment on this little girl. She was told if she did not take off her clothes and prove she did not have the purse she was going to jail. Maybe she was naive but the fact still remains, she was abused and tortured in a McDonald's by a McDonald's employee and by some one who was brought in by a McDonald's trusted assistant manager who was not even employed there. If a child is hurt in your home or anyone for that matter, you are responsible. That law has never changed. Why would that law not apply to McDonald's. How dare they not step up, take responsibility, publicly apologize, and compensate her for her pain and suffering. If they had done so they might still have my business today. It's not like they can't afford it. My God they let it go as far as trial!! If my dog bites someone I would not have to be sued to take responsibility. I could be like McDonald's and say, I'm not the one that bit you, you should have never tried to pet the dog, You just want money, your scars are not that bad. Geez wake up people!!!

[eggy1620]

The only thing that would make this story better would be if it had happened at Hooters.

[budjohnson1]

Am I the only one who thinks this case is absolutely insane? As someone said already, this girl voluntarily removed her clothes, and I don''t believe she was tied up at all during the ordeal. I don''t think McDonalds should be held responsible at all for this. It''s one thing to have an employee give out a poisoned burger to a customer, and have that customer sue McDonalds. But to have McDonalds liable for this just baffles me. Just plain stupidity. I think the ''victim'' should be required to pay McD''s for the bad publicity. This is NOT something that McDonalds needs to ''protect'' their employees from, it''s friggin'' common sense.

[tucano2]

$6.1 million? Is that all?

[pugster]

If I get 6 million from McD''s, I won''t be flipping burgers anymore.

[oleander8]

This story is way beyond bizarre.

[kiwi_chick]

for all of you totally ignorant dumbclucks who insist that the young lady who was RAPED, yes peeps, RAPED, only did this for $$$ and is a terrible person because of that...A JURY AWARDED HER THAT MONEY...they didn''t have to award her anything. Obviously, they know something we don''t. In the cases of you idiots spewing hatred on here, it wouldn''t be hard to know more than you. And I don''t for one minute think that your spew isn''t anything more than jealousy. That girl went through hell. She deserves the money. The supervisor and the boyfriend absolutely deserve jail. They were adults.

[fibonacci_]

I agree that "The 200 million figure was determined as a specific percentage of McD''''s volume, not a point of greed."

It is not as if I didn''t think of that. My point is she has dollar signs in her eyes and wouldn''t have it any other way...for example that the whole thing didn''t happen. She''s cashing in and that''s that.

[erasmus6]

"The employee who carried out the strip search was guilty and 5 years was not enough time." posted by dbl06

I don''t know which one you are talking about but Donna is the one that first initiated the strip search and she just got probation. It should have been her that was jailed for 5 years, for stupidity.

And the boyfriend that WAS jailed for 5 years for resuming where is ******* girlfriend left off and accepting a ****-***, what can we say?? He is a man, afterall, and a lot of men think with the only brain they got, the one between their legs. So, his punishment should be to have that wee brain REMOVED.

[donbl1]

A good example why the young need to be protected by law. An 18 year old can be mature but can still be a kid......

Good for her. McD''s needs to be careful with the young staff they use. McD''s has been too focused on the quarterly number and the product and not enough on the staff. Hope this changes their priorities. Staff make a company - not just the food.