Pub forced to pay family £75k after false 'dine-and-dash' claims
The pub falsely accused a family of running off without paying their £150 bill
A pub has been hit with a hefty £75,000 damages bill after wrongly accusing a family of skipping out on a £150 food tab. The Horse and Jockey in Tideswell faced legal action following a Facebook post that shamed Peter and Ann McGirr and their adult children for allegedly not paying for their meal.
The social media post detailed the family's order, including two £27 10oz ribeye steaks and two £15.25 Derbyshire gammon steaks, accompanied by drinks. It also featured CCTV images of the family, which were subsequently picked up by the press, branding them as 'dine-and-dashers', reports the Mirror.
However, it was later revealed the bill had indeed been settled, but a staff error resulted in the payment not being recorded properly. In Belfast Crown Court, the McGirrs from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, claimed they had endured significant embarrassment and reputational damage.
Their lawyer, Peter Girvan, addressed the court, and said: "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.
"The allegations were entirely false. The plaintiffs had not engaged in any such conduct, and the statements made by the defendants had no factual basis."
The pub has acknowledged that there was "no basis whatsoever" for the accusations levelled against a family and issued an apology, the court heard. It agreed to pay £75,000 in damages as well as the family's legal costs, as part of a settlement agreement.
Outside the court, the family's lawyer, Darragh Carney, read out a statement confirming the McGirr family had been "vindicated".
He added they were "very satisfied with the settlement" as compensation for "defamation of their character".
A statement issued by the pub in July last year read: "We want to sincerely apologise to the people involved because we have now learnt that they did in fact pay for their meal.
"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."
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