A well-respected family in the UK was recently awarded compensation of $100,000 by a restaurant that had publicly accused them of leaving without settling the bill.

In July of last year, Peter and Ann McGirr, along with their children Peter Jr and Carol, visited The Horse & Jockey Inn in the Peak District, England. It was a pretty uneventful affair; the family ordered ribeye and gammon steaks and washed them down with ales and lagers before leaving for their home in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Only shortly after their departure, The Horse & Jockey Facebook page posted a video of the McGirrs’ allegedly leaving the establishment without paying the £150 ($200) bill. The family was soon making national headlines for allegedly dining and dashing, which negatively impacted their otherwise great reputation, so they found themselves with no choice but to sue the inn to clear their name.

Photo: UY VO/Unsplash

 As it turns out, The Horse & Jockey Inn had jumped the gun when it posted CCTV footage of the McGirrs on their Facebook page and accused them of skipping the bill. The family had actually paid by card, but one or more members of the staff had forgotten to put it through the till. Despite the inn’s attempts to apologize for their mistake and convince the family to drop their lawsuit, they were in for much more than they had bargained for. The owner’s attempts to appease the McGirrs with an apology, free meals, and a complimentary stay at the inn fell on deaf ears.

“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,” a source told Daily Mail. “Their reputation received such a battering they were left with little choice other than to take legal action to restore their name.”

“They are very well known and respected in the Omagh area and are one of the wealthiest families around here,” the source added. “Everybody was very shocked when these allegations were first made because the McGirrs are not short of a pound or two. It was a very difficult time for the family because they knew all along that they were innocent.”

 

The family turned out to be the owners of McGirr Engineering, an internationally known company specializing in the manufacturing of construction block machines worth £2 million with cash reserves estimated at £1.3 million. They weren’t the type of people to skip a £150 bill for a meal, but the serious and defamatory accusations made by The Horse & Jockey Inn caused significant damage to the reputation of the family. As a result, they had to sue.

In the end, The Horse & Jockey Inn ended up settling for £75,000 ($100,000) before any evidence could be presented in court, and also apologized for the distress they called the McGirrs. In hindsight, maybe they should have just taken the £150 loss.