In a recent case in the US, two men sued PepsiCo claiming that the drinks manufacturer violated trade secrets and stole their idea to sell bottled water. They sued the company and two Wisconsin distributors in April but PepsiCo didn’t respond for various reasons, including the fact that a secretary who received letters relating to the case failed to act on them. Yep, they just got filed away.

After no response was forthcoming from the defendant, last month, a judge sided with the men and awarded them a $1.26 billion judgment in default, granting them the award without a trial. When PepsiCo eventually found out about the case, after the judgment, it asked the court to overturn the ruling or at least give it a chance to fight the accusations.

Fortunately for the secretary, who we’d guess has had more than the odd sleepless night since her error was discovered, a judge duly tossed out the decision. PepsiCo will now have a chance to fight the case on its merits. The secretary will now be able to stop hiding from the world under her duvet. Only just.

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