- A millionaire family was accused of not paying their restaurant bill
- The incident happened in the UK in the Peak District
- After they were falsely accused, they were awarded $100,000
One wealthy family received a grand payday of $100,000. After a bill dispute at a restaurant in July 2024, they decided to sue.
The couple Peter and Ann McGirr visited The Horse & Jockey Inn, located in the Peak District, England, with their children. To note, the establishment was not an upscale place.
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Additionally, the family dined and ate a simple meal: ribeye and gammon steaks with alcohol to wash it down. However, the McGirrs got more than they bargained for when the Inn’s Facebook page claimed they didn’t pay their bill.
What happened with the bill dispute situation?
In the social media post, there was a photo attached of the McGirrs leaving without paying their bill, allegedly. The bill for their meal was £150 ($200).
Headlines from UK outlets blasted the couple for their alleged dining and dashing. This is a practice where people eat out and purposefully skip out on their bill.
After feeling like their reputation was at risk, the family felt they needed to sue the inn.
Reports say the business tried to apologize to them, but the McGirrs were ready for the legal battle.
So what was the mistake?
Unfortunately, the inn made a big mistake, as one of their staff members had taken a card payment for the meal but had forgotten to ring the family up for it.
So the McGinns, who are from Northern Ireland, decided to sue, stating they had suffered significant damage and reputational bias because of news reports.
In fact, a source told The Daily Mail on the family’s behalf, “A lot of ordinary people might have accepted this. But given the McGirrs’ wealth and excellent reputation, that was never going to happen with them”.
Their reputation received such a battering they were left with little choice other than to take legal action to restore their name,” the source said.
If you are wondering, the McGirrs made their money through their company, McGirr Engineering, which makes important construction block machines that are very expensive.
The family took the pub to Belfast Crown Court for legal proceedings and sued for libel based on the severity of the accusations that were ‘defamatory’ in their eyes.
The bill dispute outcome
In the case, barrister Peter Girvan: “These articles contained serious and defamatory accusations that the plaintiffs had engaged in dishonest and criminal conduct by deliberately absconding without settling a bill of approximately £150.”
Furthermore, Girvan said the allegations were “entirely false” and statements made by them on Facebook had “no factual basis”.
How much were they ordered to pay?
They were ordered to pay £75,000 ($99,651) to the couple for the mistake.
After the trial, the family’s solicitor said they were happy with the outcome.
Who wouldn’t be if they received $100,000?
Following the outcome of the case, the pub released a statement in which they apologized to the couple.
“We want to sincerely apologise to the people involved because we have now learnt that they did in fact pay for their meal,” they said.
Their statement continued, “There was no dishonesty involved from our staff, it was an honest mistake, but we have dismissed the member of staff responsible for the error.”
Let that be a lesson: if you think there is a bill dispute, always double-check.
