Deal in Dunkin' Donuts case could mean free buttered treats

[left-of-center2012]

BOSTON (AP) —
An attorney is defending a proposed settlement between a man and Dunkin' Donuts shops that could mean $500 for the lead plaintiff, free buttered baked goods for hundreds of other customers and a big payout ($90,000) for law firms that handled the class action case.

Jan Polanik had sued a cluster of franchises of the Canton, Massachusetts-based doughnut and coffeehouse chain, saying he received a butter substitute on his bagels when he requested butter.

The proposed settlement, filed in a state court, must still be approved by a judge. According to The Boston Globe, Polanik could receive $500 while about 1,400 other customers who made similar complaints would get up to three free buttered baked goods. The law firms, meanwhile, could get $90,000 in fees under the proposed settlement.

Thomas Shapiro, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said :

"We felt that the principle involved was important enough and something should be done to correct the practice," he said.

The parent company of Dunkin' Donuts has said that most of its Massachusetts locations offer both butter substitutes and the real thing.

Customers requesting free buttered baked goods at the affected stores would not be required to
show documentation that they had previously paid for items with a butter substitute, Shapiro said.

[JI7]

1. they should offer free crap all summer long when people might be less likely

to eat it .

[GWC58]

2. Dunkin Donuts, as far as I'm concerned, can't touch Krispy Kream

They've gone down since they stopped "time to make the doughnuts," instead having them shipped in. It's a save money thing!

[RobinA]

3. This Is An Actual

lawsuit which he won, or settled? He should have made it a class action, I would have joined. The is a pet peeve of mine which I run into predominantly south of the Mason Dixon. When south I constantly ask for real butter instead of that damn Country Crock of god knows what. I am invariably told they don't have real butter. Except Waffle House, which can usually come up with the real thing.

[left-of-center2012]

4. You wrote: "He should have made it a class action."

From my original posted article:

"... the class action case."

[left-of-center2012]

5. Rip off!

The client got $500.
The lawyers got $90,000.