Bleier/GettyMcDonald's will have to pay an ex-employee $17,500 to make up for the weight he gained there.

A McDonald's employee who gained 65 pounds on the job will get a hefty settlement from the fast food giant, thanks to a judge's ruling this week.

The Brazilian ex-franchise manager will get $17,500 from McDonald's for his massive weight gain, according to The Associated Press, which occured over his 12-year employment at the restaurant chain.

The man, whose identity has not been released, sued the company for the pounds he packed on, arguing that he felt pressured to eat the food every day as part of his job description.

He said McDonald's regularly sent "mystery clients" to conduct spot checks on the restaurant and report back on the food, so he had to make sure it was up to par.

McDonald's also gave the employees free lunches, he said, which increased his daily caloric intake.

Judge Joao Ghisleni Filho said McDonald's could appeal the ruling, and the company's Brazilian headquarters told the AP it was "weighing its legal options."

Famous for its calorie-laden Big Macs and fries, McDonald's has been the target of weight-related suits many times.

On Wednesday, a Manhattan judge ruled against a group of plaintiffs who wanted to file a joint lawsuit, which alleged that McDonald's food was a cause of childhood obesity.

The judge ruled that the suit, which has been kicking around the courts since it was filed in 2002, must be dealt with individually rather than as a group action.

"We are extremely pleased with the court’s decision," McDonald's spokeswoman Heidi Barker said in a statement released to Bloomberg News. "As we have maintained throughout these proceedings, it is unfair to blame McDonald’s for this complex societal problem."

With News Wire Services

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