March 06, 2004
Pittsburgh news is always the weirdest.
David Warnes, 37, of Bethel Park, was terminated from his bagging job at the grocery chain's Village Square location for taking a doughnut off a shelf and eating it in January 2002.
Last October, the U.S. Department of Labor honored the grocery chain with a New Freedom Initiative Award under a program started by President Bush for "outstanding employment practices toward people with disabilities," according to a news release.
Giant Eagle Must Pay For Doughnut Firing
Fri Mar 5, 6:54 PM ET
A mentally challenged man will receive an undisclosed settlement from Giant Eagle after a federal jury found that the company was wrong to fire him, Channel 4's Whitney Drolen reported Friday.
David Warnes, 37, of Bethel Park, was terminated from his bagging job at the grocery chain's Village Square location for taking a doughnut off a shelf and eating it in January 2002.
Warnes' mother, Carol, filed a lawsuit claiming a violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. She said her son acted on impulse and didn't understand the consequences of what he did.
Rob Borella, Giant Eagle director for communications and sports marketing, said the incident was the final straw in a series of job performance-related issues involving Warnes. He said Giant Eagle employs hundreds of disabled people and will continue to do so.
