16
Feb
McDonalds didnt just serve their coffee hot their operations manual required that is be served between 180 and 190 degrees. The 1994 lawsuit made international headlines and became the go-to example of frivolous lawsuits.
A closer look at the facts of the case and the law.
Mcdonalds coffee law suit. The McDonalds coffee lawsuit is probably the best and most famous example of a product defect case. Unfortunately the plaintiff in that case Stella Liebeck was vilified unnecessarily. Some called it a frivolous case.
Here we set the record straight on why this was a worthy lawsuit. Im sure we all remember the jokes made about the about lady who spilled McDonalds coffee on herself and filed that frivolous lawsuit. Come to find out that lawsuit.
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 Hot Coffee Lawsuit.
Once corporations gained control of the story Stella Liebeck became a newly-minted millionaire grandmother who got an easy payday. In reality Stella Liebeck wasnt looking for a major payday. She was looking for a fair settlement.
She wasnt a litigious woman who only filed the lawsuit against McDonalds after the company disregarded the severity of. 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 Refused to Pay Liebeck More Than 800. 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 Coffee Lawsuit.
Albuquerque New Mexico When a law firm here found itself defending McDonalds Corp. In a suit last year that claimed the company served dangerously hot coffee it hired a law student to take temperatures at other local restaurants for comparison. After dutifully slipping a thermometer into steaming cups and mugs.
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.
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. McDonalds Restaurantsmore commonly known as the McDonalds hot coffee lawsuitis often cited as a classic example of frivolous litigation in the United States.
In much of the publics eye Stella Lieback was a greedy plaintiff who spilled warm coffee on her lap while driving and decided to cash in by suing a big corporation for millions of dollars. McDonalds didnt just serve their coffee hot their operations manual required that is be served between 180 and 190 degrees. 30-40 degrees hotter than other coffee-serving restaurants in the area.
The Shriners Burn Institute in Cincinnati issued warnings that coffee served above 130 degrees was dangerously hot. Youve heard it before. 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.
McDonalds then refused all pre-trial settlement offers including a mediator suggested amount of 225000. A 10-day trial took place during which evidence was introduced that McDonalds required its coffee to be served at a temperature between 180 and 190 degrees. The 1994 lawsuit made international headlines and became the go-to example of frivolous lawsuits.
For almost 30 years the McDonalds hot coffee lawsuit has been touted as the epitome of American litigiousness. However the real story behind the. McDonalds lawsuit other than the last joke they heard about it.
A woman spilled some McDonalds coffee on herself got burned and got millions of dollars. That is about all most of us know about this woman and her legendary lawsuit. And yet many uninformed people have very strong opinions on this case.
Well as Paul Harvey says And now the rest of the. McDonalds only offered 800 leading her to file a lawsuit in 1994. After hearing the evidence the jury concluded that McDonalds handling of.