Cracker Barrel Ordered to Pay Man $9.4 Million After Serving Him Glass Full of Surface Cleaner Chemical

Southern-style restaurant Cracker Barrel has been ordered to pay $9.4 million to a man who was served a glass full of a liquid chemical.

In April 2014, the plaintiff, William Cronnon, went to have lunch at a Cracker Barrel in Marion County. While there, he was served a glass of what he thought was water but, when he took a sip, he immediately realized that “it was not ice water but was some chemical that caused a burning sensation in his mouth and esophagus,” the court documents read, CNN reports.

Instead of a cool refreshing glass of water, Cronnon was unknowingly drinking a chemical called Eco-San, a liquid cleaner commonly used in the kitchen. Cronnon says consuming the chemical led to permanent damage internally, specifically to his mouth and esophagus. The man goes on to say that he is still dealing with ongoing symptoms, which have resulted in a load up in medical bills.

“The jury returned a verdict for compensatory damages of $4.3 million in just 30 minutes — one of the fastest verdicts we have ever seen — and awarded punitive damages of $5 million after only 10 minutes of additional deliberation,” Cronnon’s attorney Thomas Greer said in an interview with CNN, according to ABC 57.

The amount of money could reportedly be capped because of a Tennessee law on civil damages, the news outlet says. Despite the restaurant being at fault, it said it was “disappointed” with the plaintiff’s verdict.

In a statement to CNN, the restaurant chain said: “While we have great respect for the legal process, we are obviously disappointed by and strongly disagree with the jury’s award in this case, which involved an unfortunate and isolated incident that occurred at one of our stores eight years ago.”