"Mistakes Were Made. Comas Were Induced. Who's to Say Who Is Wrong? Let's Just Move On"

An Iowa judge has denied unemployment benefits to a man who claimed discrimination after being fired from an ethanol plant for drinking 'automobile fuel' produced by the company.


[Cory Neddermeyer, 42,] was fired after an April 21 incident at the Denison plant. According to Neddermeyer, he showed up for work that morning and saw that there had been a spill of fuel alcohol. Hundreds of gallons of 190-proof alcohol were contained in a 6-inch-deep holding pond that was about 30 feet by 24 feet.

It proved to be too much to resist, Neddermeyer said. . . . "Curious about the taste and its effects, I dipped into this lake of liquor and drank what I considered to be 2 to 3 ounces. . . ."

He was taken to a hospital, where his blood-alcohol level, according to state records, was reported at 0.72 - nine times the legal limit for driving, and almost double the level that is considered potentially fatal for many adults. . . .

At the hearing, Administrative Law Judge Teresa Hillary asked Neddermeyer, "Why would you drink fuel?"

"I don't have a good explanation for that," he replied.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," is my pat answer for situations like this. Corey, you might want to remember that for next time (and we all know, there's going to be a next time).