A former franchise manager blamed the McDonald’s corporation for making him gain 65 pounds over a 12-year employment period, so he sued them. A Brazilian court “weighed” the case, then ruled this week that the now hefty ex-employee of the fast food company was entitled to his “just desserts,” so he was awarded $17,500. The 32-year-old man whose identity has not been released says he was forced to sample Mickey Dee’s fatty array of goods on a daily basis as part of his job description. The man also claimed that the world’s largest restaurant chain would oftentimes sent “mystery shoppers” to check on the quality of the food and service, so everything had to be up to standards at all times. Free daily lunches, which also helped to increase the man’s waistline, were also one of the company’s perks, according to the man. Presiding Judge Joao Ghisleni Filho said McDonald’s could appeal the ruling and the Brazilian headquarters told the Associated Press that it is “weighing its legal options.” In the course of the company’s 70 years, McDonald’s has been the center of its fair share of lawsuits and legal entanglements. On Wednesday, a New York City judge ruled against a group who filed a joint lawsuit against McDonald’s, claiming the company was the cause of childhood obesity. A McDonald’s spokesperson released a statement with regards to the ruling and attempted joint filing against the fast food chain: “We are extremely pleased with the court’s decision,” McDonald’s spokeswoman Heidi Barker said in a statement released to Bloomberg News. “As we have maintained throughout these proceedings, it is unfair to blame McDonald’s for this complex societal problem.”
