That woman was Stella Liebeck, and her lawsuit turned into a punch line for many news outlets, late-night comedians, and pop stars as the truth was spun and the woman was made out to be greedy. But did any of us really know the details of the story? The McDonald's Hot Coffee case is commonly considered as the poster child for stupid personal injury lawsuits but, in this age of Fake News, if you knew the True Facts of the Hot Coffee Case, you might change your mind. People to this day use it as an example of people suing over stupid, pointless things, but … In the weeks and months to follow this encounter, great controversy would swirl around this woman and her latte. In 1992, 79-year old Stella Liebeck became the poster child for frivolous litigation after filing a lawsuit against McDonald’s for serving coffee that was too hot. Her complaint sounded frivolous. In 1992 McDonald’s faced a lawsuit because there was a mishap with the temperature of their coffee. But there’s more to the story. This particular product liability issue affected the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of people. In September 1997, a seventy-three year old woman suffered first and second degree burns when a cup of McDonald's coffee spilled on her lap. In Bogle v. McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd.Field J rejected the claim that McDonald's could have avoided injury by serving coffee at a lower temperature. The facts surrounding the McDonald’s Coffee case often are grossly distorted by the media and special interest groups that are determined to deny the U.S. Constitution’s 7th amendment right to trial by jury, paint our courts in a negative light, and perpetuate the myth of frivolous lawsuits. This fake news stories may invoke memories of another “frivolous” lawsuit against McDonald’s from the 1990s when the company was sued for serving coffee that was too hot. Everyone serves hot coffee! A woman believed it was too hot, sued, and won the trial. In August 1994, a jury awarded a 79-year-old woman more than $2 million for burn injuries she sustained from the dangerous temperatures of McDonald's coffee. McDonald's Scalding Coffee Case Nearly ten years later, critics of civil justice and juries continue to mock Stella Liebeck and the McDonald's coffee case, calling it 'frivolous' and 'laughable'. With the opening of Ralph Nader’s new American Museum of Tort Law in Winsted, Connecticut, the truth behind some of the more enduring cases of corporate shenanigans are explored. Serving the U.S. and Texas with offices in South Texas including, © 2020 Herrman & Herrman - All rights reserved, Spring Break in McAllen and Rio Grande Valley: Tourism Information You Need ». McDonald’s coffee was not only hot, it was scalding – capable of almost instantaneous destruction of skin, flesh, and muscle. With over 100 years of combined experience among the legal team of Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C., our Texas personal attorneys have successfully resolved over 20,000 cases. ” Even though this case was decided in August of 1994, for many Americans it continues to represent the “problem” with our civil justice system. No one is in favor of frivolous cases and outlandish results but it is important to understand some key facts that were NOT reported in the stories about the case. After purchasing a cup of coffee, as the car stopped, Liebeck tried to hold the cup securely between her knees while removing the lid. At home, most coffee makers brew a drink that measures between 135 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Although third-degree burns are often painless, the pain comes from the first and second-degree burns that surround the third-degree burns. Days at participating mcdonald's coffee lawsuit McDonald 's, New Mexico some crazy verdicts, but to make a difference filed! 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