The heart-breaking story of a 3-year-old girl with severe facial scars being kicked out of a KFC may be a hoax, according to the restaurant chain. But the girl’s family insists the story is real.

But as the Laurel Leader-Call reports, two investigations by KFC failed to confirm the family’s story.

  • Keep calm (publicly) and carry on. While the investigation was being conducted, the company was defusing the situation by acknowledging it, but not disputing it until they had all the facts. KFC even made a $30,000 pledge to the girl’s medical fund when it learned of the alleged incident, despite its doubts. And even though the company now believes the whole thing was a hoax, it’s promising to honor its pledge, according to the Leader-Call.
  • Consider your legal options. If the story is indeed a hoax, then the owners of the KFC franchise accused of kicking out the girl may have a good case for defamation. That would require the franchise owner to prove the false statements caused injury – for example, by showing that sales plunged immediately after the story went viral. Criminal charges could also be a possibility, as seen in the case of a woman whose “dying daughter” hoax targeted celebrities and got her five years of probation.

Regardless if you believe a customer’s complaint is a hoax, it’s probably wise to contact a business lawyer as soon as possible to figure out the best way to address the allegations and keep your business’ reputation intact.

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Related Resources:

  • KFC: No evidence found to support claims by scarred girl’s family (Jackson, Mississippi’s WAPT-TV)
  • Making a Business Apology: 3 Legal Tips (FindLaw’s Free Enterprise)
  • Gay Ex-Waitress Under Fire For Alleged Tip Hoax (FindLaw’s Celebrity Justice)
  • KFC Must Pay $8.3M to Poisoned Girl (FindLaw’s Injured)

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