Secretary's mistake turns into $1.26 billion judgment against PepsiCo

A busy secretary at PepsiCo who neglected to turn over legal documents to her boss has caused a $1.26 billion default judgment to be levied against the company.

The Honorable Jacqueline R. Erwin, a judge in the Circuit Court of the Third Judicial Circuit, Jefferson County, Wisconsin, awarded the billion dollar default judgment to Charles A. Joyce and James R. Voigt. The suit, which was filed in late April and sought a jury trial, alleged breach of contract against bottlers Carolina Canners, Inc. and Wis-Pak, Inc. It also alleged trade secret misappropriation against PepsiCo and the bottlers.