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A woman was NOT happy when a waiter spilled wine last year on one of her most precious possessions. Maryana Beyder, the woman in question, filed suit against the Alpine Country Club in Demarast, NJ following an accidental spill that she claims should net her at least $30,000 in damages.
What could a waiter have spilled something on to result in such a large suit being filed?
It turns out, the waiter inadvertently spilled some red wine on a Hermes handbag in September 2018. The bag, Beyder claims, was discontinued and thus is incredibly rare. So rare, in fact, as to be considered priceless. The price she decided to put on it in her lawsuit, however, was $30,000. Meanwhile, the NJ-based club, Alpine Country Club, has apparently been very resistant to Beyder’s claims.
In fact, the country club has been so resistant that they cross-filed their own suit against the waiter who accidentally caused the spill. Beyder has stated that the club is operating in bad faith in suing the waiter, as he isn’t at fault for an accidental spill. The club itself is liable and should have been able to pay for the damages from using their insurance.
In short, no. The waiter was simply doing his job when he accidentally spilled the wine. He shouldn’t be on the hook for any amount of money, and he certainly shouldn’t be sued by his employer. The case is likely to be tossed out, as there is no precedent for an employer suing an employee as retaliation for an accident that caused monetary loss.
Employment attorney Louis Pechman chimed in on this unusual case, stating “Good human resources policy would dictate that the restaurant has the employee’s back, rather than sticking the knife in his back.” This would normally mean that the club should use its business insurance to cover the costs of the damage.
Had they simply complied with Beyder’s earlier requests for compensation, she would not have needed to file suit in the first place. Instead, they decided to drag their feet and add insult to injury by suing their own employee and claiming he was responsible for the damage.
