ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 15, 1997 TAG: 9701150116
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: GREENSBORO, N.C.
MEMO: Shorter version ran in Metro edition.
Jurors deliberated Tuesday whether ABC should pay as much as $1.9 billion to Food Lion for an undercover hidden-camera report that alleged the grocery chain sold rotten meat.
Food Lion denied the 1992 ``PrimeTime Live'' story, but the lawsuit challenged only ABC's methods. The jury last month found ABC producers committed fraud and trespass by lying on supermarket job applications to get their hidden cameras inside three stores in the Carolinas.
Jurors deliberated for 5 1/2 hours Tuesday, then went home without reaching a verdict. They were due back in court early today.
The jury gave Food Lion $1,402 in compensatory damages to cover the cost of hiring and training the producers. The company asked jurors to award between $52.5 million and $1.9 billion in punitive damages.
The jury - which began deliberating just before 10 a.m. - must determine whether the defendants consciously broke the law. ABC employees, including ``PrimeTime Live'' anchorwoman Diane Sawyer, testified that the undercover probe was approved by ABC's lawyers and executives and they thought it was legal.
The judge reminded jurors that it is legal under North and South Carolina laws for a person to record or tape events or conversations in which he or she is involved, without the knowledge of the other party.
Food Lion contends the network knew it was doing wrong but did so anyway for the sake of ratings and profits.
- Associated Press
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