[bbfan1991]

A former worker at a department store has won a court battle after it was ruled his firing was "unjustified".

Nolan Koewler was sacked a year ago from the Dillard's store in Evansville, Indiana for eating two hot dogs without permission.

The incident happened on July 4, 2010, when Dillard's held a company picnic. Leftover hot dogs were kept in a freezer to be saved for Labor Day on September 6, the AP reports.

Koewler was then caught taking the hot dogs out of the freezer, leading to his dismissal.

The Indiana Court of Appeals resolved the matter earlier this week and ordered the store to pay him unemployment benefits.

Koewler claimed that he wasn't aware that he wasn't allowed to eat the hot dogs. The court came to the decision unanimously.