Brickbat: Poison Whiskey
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission charged Spec's Wines, Spirits and Finer Foods with a host of violations and asked that a Texas administrative court either fine the company $713 million or yank the license for each of its 164 stores. But the judges said the only charge that the commission proved was that Spec's might have paid an invoice a day or two late. The court issued Spec's only a warning. But the investigation cost Spec's more than $1 million in legal fees and other costs, and the three-year freeze the commission imposed on issuing Spec's new licenses until the case was resolved kept it from expanding.