Condom soup suit settled out of court

MISSION VIEJO, Calif., Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A California man's lawsuit against a restaurant that allegedly served him French onion soup with a condom in it has been settled out of court.

Eric Traut, a lawyer for Philip Hodousek of Mission Viejo, and lawyers for Irvine-based Claim Jumper restaurants said the July 2009 lawsuit has been resolved for an undisclosed amount, The Orange County (Calif.) Register reported Friday.

Traut said this month his client had rejected a $30,000 settlement because he wanted a court to repair his "tarnished reputation."

"Claim Jumper sincerely regrets, and apologizes for, statements which have appeared in the media which have cast Mr. & Mrs. Hodousek, in an unfavorable light. With the conclusion of this litigation, Claim Jumper wishes the plaintiffs well and sincerely hopes that they are successful in putting this regrettable incident behind them," a statement prepared by Traut and Claim Jumper's legal team said.

The lawsuit stated Traut had been eating at the restaurant with his family April 12, 2009, when he discovered what he believed to be tough cheese on the French onion soup he was eating was actually a condom. The suit said tests performed in a laboratory found female DNA on the condom.