Jury Awards $5,001 to Man Whose Coffee Was Tainted With Urine

A Culpeper County jury has awarded $5,001 to a man whose coffee pot was tainted with urine by a former co-worker.

The verdict came in a lawsuit filed by Michael Utz against James Carroll Butler. According to court records, Butler admitted to putting his urine in Utz's coffee pot in March 2009 when both men worked for the town of Culpeper.

Butler was convicted of misdemeanor assault in May 2009. He was sentenced to a year in jail, with 11 months suspended.

The jury issued its verdict in the civil case on Monday, awarding Utz $1 in compensatory damages and $5,000 in punitive damages.

Utz's lawyer, Michael Sharman, told the Star-Exponent that his client is happy about the verdict.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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