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The family of a girl who was left brain-damaged after eating a chicken wrap at a KFC res-
taurant was awarded $8.35 million ($8 million Australian) today by an Australian court.
Monika Samaan, then 7, and her family became ill from salmonella poisoning in 2005
after sharing a chicken wrap they purchased at a Sydney KFC. The girls’ parents and bro-
ther said they suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, but made a full recovery. Monika,
however, spent months in a coma and is now confined to a wheel chair and unable to
speak. The family’s attorney, George Vlahakis, praised the court’s decision and said Mon-
ika’s care had exhausted the family’s financial resources. “Monika is now a big girl and
they are finding it increasingly difficult to lift her and to look after her basic needs as well
as look after Monika’s younger siblings,” Vlahakis told the Sydney Morning Herald outside
of court. In a statement posted on its website, KFC said it plans to appeal the case. “This is
clearly a very tragic case but we are deeply disappointed and surprised by the judge’s deci-
sion,” Sally Glover, KFC Australia’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, said. ”We feel deeply for
Monika and the Samaan family; however we also have a responsibility to defend KFC’s re-
putation as a provider of safe, high-quality food.”
