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Mar
These punitive damages were sought in order to send a message to McDonalds that their coffee was dangerously hot. Back in 1992 as most people tell it a woman ordered a hot coffee at McDonalds spilled it and suffered some minor burns only to turn around sue the popular chain restaurant and get rich on something seemingly frivolous.
You may remember this case as the woman who spilled McDonalds coffee sued and got millions of dollars out of it.
Mcdonalds coffee burn lawsuit. In 1992 Stella Liebeck of Albuquerque New Mexico was in the passenger seat of her grandsons car when she was severely burned by a cup of coffee purchased at a local McDonalds drivethrough window. This case received a great deal of publicity and became a prime example for frivolous lawsuits which garnered large monetary damages. A closer look at the facts of the case and the law.
So what is the reason for the lawsuit. At the surface it would seem that Ms. Liebeck caused the burns herself by spilling the coffee and the jury in the case did attribute about 20 responsibility to her for this.
But the case wasnt about the spill it was about the temperature that McDonalds served their coffee. At an astonishing 180 degrees Fahrenheit on average and sometimes up to 190 degrees the coffee. By Allison Torres Burtka Stella Liebeck the 79-year-old woman who was severely burned by McDonalds coffee that she spilled in her lap in 1992 was unfairly held up as an example of frivolous litigation in the public eye.
But the facts of the case tell a very different story. In 1992 79-year old Stella Liebeck became the poster child for frivolous litigation after filing a lawsuit against McDonalds for serving coffee that was too hot. The public generally ridiculed.
McDonalds Hot Coffee and the discovery of the 700 Complaints. During discovery Morgan and his team found that between 1982 and 1992 McDonalds received more than 700 reports from consumers burned by their coffee. Reports varied in burn severity but the company spent about 500000 settling burn injury claims in those ten years.
Back in 1992 as most people tell it a woman ordered a hot coffee at McDonalds spilled it and suffered some minor burns only to turn around sue the popular chain restaurant and get rich on something seemingly frivolous. One of the most famous lawsuits in recent history is the case of Liebeck v. You may remember this case as the woman who spilled McDonalds coffee sued and got millions of dollars out of it.
However that is the story mass media wanted you to hear. The story of a money-seeking customer suing a big company for big bucks. In reality this couldnt be further from the truth.
McDonalds refused to raise its compensation offer above 800. Stella Liebeck filed suit. Her lawsuit asked for 100000 in compensatory damages including for her pain and suffering and triple punitive damages.
These punitive damages were sought in order to send a message to McDonalds that their coffee was dangerously hot. McDonalds Hot Coffee Controversy Is Back With Another Burn Lawsuit. Controversy is still brewing over McDonalds hot coffee.
Joan Fino a 74-year-old woman from Clovis Calif is the latest to sue the fast food giant over burns to her groin area that she says were caused by scalding McDonalds coffee. The McDonalds Hot Coffee Lawsuit - What You Didnt Hear Published May 6th 2008 Probably at some point you have heard of the woman who spilled hot coffee in her lap and sued McDonalds for millions. What you usually hear is how this woman drove into the drive-thru at McDonalds and bought hot coffee that she then stuck between her legs.
Because it was a. McDonalds only offered 800 leading her to file a lawsuit in 1994. After hearing the evidence the jury concluded that McDonalds handling of.
During discovery McDonalds produced documents showing more than 700 claims by people burned by its coffee between 1982 and 1992. Some claims involved third-degree burns substantially similar to Liebecks. This history documented McDonalds knowledge about the extent and nature of this hazard.
McDonalds served its coffee at 180-190 degrees. McDonalds intentionally made their coffee so hot they knew it would burn people. You may have heard that the woman who sued McDonalds was stupid and that it was her fault because she spilled coffee on herself while she was driving.
The truth is Stella Liebeck of Albuquerque New Mexico wasnt the driver and the car wasnt moving. The truth behind the hot coffee lawsuit. The elderly woman who became a punchline had 16 of her body covered in burns and McDonalds had.
The Shriners Burn Institute in Cincinnati issued warnings that coffee served above 130 degrees was dangerously hot McDonalds knew that their coffee was not fit for consumption at the temperature it was served because it caused third-degree burns within 3.