Antonio Puga vs. Ben E. Keith

Outcome: Jury Verdict for $411,500

Description: Antonio Puga was working at the Ben E. Keith (BEK) warehouse wrapping pallets of food products to be shipped out in the morning to customers of BEK. These pallets were routinely stacked 5 to 7 feet high with all types of food products and restaurant supplies. Often times the employees charged with stacking the pallets would be forced to put heavy items at the top. One of these heavy items, a 54 pound box of Coke syrup, fell and struck Antonio on his back. Antonio suffered a herniated disk. Instead of providing medical care and treatment to Antonio, BEK provided limited care and treatment and then fired Antonio. The jury found that BEK negligently operated their warehouse and demanded that BEK provide proper medical care and treatment to Antonio so he could obtain surgery to repair his herniated disc.