Bizarre 'Strip-Search Hoax' Case

In a bizarre "strip-search hoax" case in which a then-employee was invasively searched under false pretenses, McDonald's Corp. and its Hinesville, Ga.-based franchisee, GWD Management Corp., are fighting off the suit by trying to make the other responsible.

It's a scam dubbed the "strip-search hoax," and it works like this: a man calls a fast food restaurant, pretending to be a police officer or restaurant corporate official. The caller convinces a restaurant manager that an employee -- invariably female -- is implicated in some criminal wrongdoing, such as theft or drug possession. Per the caller's instructions, the manager has the employee searched, in a progressively invasive fashion.

That's what happened the night of Feb. 2, 2003, at the Hinesville McDonald's, with details largely undisputed in court papers. The fight in federal court is over whether McDonald's and the franchisee that operated the Hinesville restaurant owe the plaintiff anything.

So far, a federal judge has ruled that McDonald's cannot be held liable but has kept alive some claims against the franchisee, GWD Management Corp. But as both defendants have fought off the suit, they have tried to make the other responsible.

[via Law.com]