Settlement Reached in Condom-in-Soup Case

A lawsuit between a restaurant chain and a man who says he ordered soup that came with a condom instead of cheese has cooled off. The two sides have agreed on a settlement.

Zdenek Philip Hodousek, 51, claims that while eating Easter Brunch with his family at a Claim Jumper restaurant, he bit into a condom instead of cheese on his French onion soup.

The terms of Wednesday's settlement were not disclosed. Both sides say in a statement the deal indicates no admission of liability by either party.

The restaurant originally offered Hodousek a $30,000 settlement, but the Mission Viejo man wanted to take the case to court, his attorney said. The company says it found no evidence of a foreign object in the soup or that there was any employee involvement or wrongdoing.

"I put my own condom in a soup?"  Hodousek  said in the Orange County Register. "It would be beyond stupid. Now on TV they're comparing us with the story of a finger in (the chili, at Wendy's) -- that we are there for the money. We never mentioned money, it is not about money, it's about principle.

According to the Register, Hodousek also said the $300,000 he owes in back taxes and penalties had nothing to do with this incident."

"They brought me a frickin' used condom in soup. Bottom line, end of story."

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According to the chain's website, there are 46 Claim Jumper restaurants in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.

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