One of my favourite judgements in the US was in California. Starbucks had been stealing taking a portion of the money from the tips jar and assigning it as part of the store managers' bonuses. I presume the rationale was that more tips = happier customers = better manager. Though we all know it was really about being low-paying slave-drivers.
So the judge ruled it illegal and made them stop. Then because they'd got records of the missing money, he made them find all 45,000-odd people they'd employed in California over the last 15 years - work out how much they'd lost (it was probably only going to be a few dollars each for most), track them down and pay them back.
I don't think it was all that expensive in terms of money paid out - but the admin cost and hassle must have been a right bastard. So a nice disincentive.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
