Why a single grape cost Woolworths $11,000
A single grape has cost Woolworths more than $11,000 after a 51-year-old pensioner slipped on one at the major supermarket chain’s Hervey Bay store.
But it could’ve been a lot worse.
Video surveillance footage found Raymond Polwarth, who slipped on the grape way back in February 2014, had greatly exaggerated the effect of the fall.
The 51-year-old was seeking more than $140,000 in damages due to a knee injury, but Woolworths reportedly put a secret video camera outside his home and the footage proved Polwarth was more mobile than he had claimed.
Judge David Searles found “the surveillance footage speaks for itself”.
“The level of functioning of the Plaintiff is self-evident and reflects that his ability to function has not been significantly curtailed,” the judge said.
What an unsavoury incident. And it raises some questions. Was the compensation big enough? Did Woolworths act incorrectly in setting up surveillance footage outside Polwarth’s house? Let us know what you think!