Florida Court Rules Plaintiffs Can Recover Damages for Emotional Distress Caused by Ingestion of a Mold-Contaminated Beverage

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - In a Dec. 13 decision, the Florida Supreme Court reversed a lower court's ruling precluding a claim for damages for emotional distress caused by the ingestion of a mold-contaminated Coca-Cola and remanded the case to the district court. Linda Hagan, et al., Petitioners, v. Coca-Cola Bottling Co., et al., Respondents, No. SC00-287 (Fla. Sup. Ct.).

The Supreme Court judge agreed with appellants Linda Hagan and Barbara Parker, who had asserted on appeal that they 'should not be barred from recovering damages for emotional distress caused by the consumption of a beverage containing a foreign substance simply because …