After receiving the coffee, she placed it between her legs while she attempted to remove the lid. Its treated as a classic example of judicial overreach and greed: A woman, driving in her car while holding McDonalds coffee between her legs, spills some of the coffee on herself. One thing the media definitely left out: Liebeck burned over 16% of her body, and 6%of the burns were third-degree. ","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "The McDonald's coffee was served at a temperature between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, their coffee is served at temperatures of around 130 – 140 degrees. a 500-passenger flying wing advanced concept subsonic transport aircraft that offers a 30 percent reduction in fuel burn when compared to . 2014-11-11 Nov. 11, 2014 10:32 AM PT. Thought the McDonald's Hot Coffee Spilling Lawsuit was Frivolous? Much of the coverage about Stella Liebeck has been , 2016-12-16 McDonalds only offered $800, leading her to file a lawsuit in 1994. window.open(url, "_blank"); The jurors then awarded her $2.7 million in punitive damages, which, they reasoned, was equivalent to about two days worth of McDonalds coffee sales. He should run again. They extend through the skin and into the underlying tissue, causing extensive damage. Jurors heard testimony for a week and deliberated for hours. Mrs. Liebeck also asked McDonald's to consider changing the excessive temperature of its coffee so others would not be similarly harmed. Basically, Stella told McDonalds, I want you to cover what Medicare doesnt cover, and I want you to get a better lid on that coffee because I dont want this to happen to another person. That was what she was asking for., That message was lost in all the chatter. These fast food court cases are ba-da-ba-ba-dumb. The defense countered that the number of complaints was statistically insignificant, given the billions of cups of McDonalds coffee sold annually. The jury found that McDonald's was 80 percent responsible for the incident. Liebeck's family originally asked McDonald's to cover the woman's out-of-pocket expenses of $2,000 plus lost wages for her daughter, but the company offered only $800. In that case, 79-year-old Stella Liebeck filed suit against McDonald's after a cup of McDonald's coffee, served at a temperature of between 180 and 190 degrees, spilled in her lap. Liebeck endured third-degree burns over 16 percent of her body, including her inner thighs and genitalsthe skin was burned away to the layers of muscle and fatty tissue. By submitting your email, you agree to our, What a lot of people get wrong about the infamous 1994 McDonalds hot coffeelawsuit. On February 27, 1992, Liebeck ordered a 49-cent cup of coffee from the drive-through window of an Albuquerque McDonald's restaurant at 5001 Gibson Boulevard Southeast. States products liability laws contain instructions about warnings: They must be in a conspicuous place and must warn the products user of possibly dangerous features, Wagner said. [37][38] The Specialty Coffee Association of America supports improved packaging methods rather than lowering the temperature at which coffee is served. A vascular surgeon determined that Stella suffered full thickness burns (or third-degree burns) over six percent of her body, including her inner thighs, perineum, buttocks, and genital and groin areas. She was in a parked car when the coffee spilled. Mrs. Liebeck’s lawyers believed that McDonalds was liable to Mrs. Liebeck because they served their coffee at an unreasonably high temperature. Her injuries were anything but frivolous. ","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "According to a beverage resource manual, the standard temperature for hot Starbucks drinks is between 150 and 170 degrees. . This high temperature can result in a burnt flavor, and can also lead to a loss of flavor and aroma. The coffee that burned Stella Liebeck was dangerously hothot enough to cause third-degree burns, even through clothes, in three seconds. "}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "How Many Times Has McDonald's Been Taken To Court? Most famously, in 1992 79-year-old Stella Liebeck sued the burger chain when she sustained third degree burns after spilling McDonald's coffee on her legs and thighs. To prove negligence, Stella Liebeck had to show that McDonald’s had a duty to her, that they breached that duty, and that the breach was the direct and proximate cause of her injuries. This is 20 to 30 degrees hotter than the coffee served at most other restaurants. The woman submitted photos and medical documents back up her injury claims. McDonalds now serves its coffee at a temperature that is 10 degrees lower. Liebecks story, like many personal injury lawsuits, got started because of one persons injuries but revealed a larger pattern of corporate behavior that put consumers at unreasonable risk. After a lengthy trial, Liebeck was awarded $2.9 million in compensatory damages and $480,000 in punitive damages. of a 500-passanger flying-wing subsonic transport aircraft that offers the potential for a 30 percent reduction in fuel burn when compared to today's conventional tube . In the decade before Liebecks spill, McDonalds had received 700 reports of people burning themselves. McDonald's went on to offer Liebeck a small amount of $800. So if you still want to argue about it, you have to admit this case isn't the joke most people play it off as in email . A California woman's claim that she was severely burned by spilled McDonald's coffee was revealed to be a scam when investigators discovered that photographs of the woman's alleged injuries had been downloaded off the internet. The goal of the lawsuit was to try to right a wrong. Morgan filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, accusing McDonald's of gross negligence for selling coffee that was "unreasonably dangerous" and "defectively manufactured". Students who viewed this , 2021-11-14 Stella liebeck of albuquerque, new mexico, was in the passenger seat of her grandson's car when she was severely burned by mcdonald's . Not the logical consequence of a thoughtful trial.. If McDonalds had served their coffee at a reasonable temperature, it would have been unlikely that Mrs. Liebeck’s injuries would’ve been so severe. It turns out. The attorneys presented evidence that coffee they had tested all over the city was served at a temperature at least 20F (11C) lower than McDonald's coffee. As for her injury: why the discrepancy between "six percent" and "16 percent" burn area? And as could be expected, Corporate America behaved as Corporate America behaves: haughtily. Inflicted with some minor burns, she sues McDonalds, as if she shouldnt have known that coffee is hot and driving with it in your hand or legs is dangerous. [citation needed]. Stella Liebeck never regained the strength and energy she had before she was burned. Stella Liebeck, 79 years old, was sitting in the passenger seat of her grandson's car having purchased a cup of McDonald's coffee. She suffered third-degree burns from the coffee and eventually sued McDonald's. The case became national news when Liebeck was awarded a "$2.9 million settlement." Most people wondered how someone could be awarded so much money for spilling coffee on herself. The pictures of the burns are rather gruesome, so I've not imbedded them into this post; however, if you would like to see images of the burns to Ms. Liebeck's legs and groin area, these can be seen at the following links: Stella Lieback's burns link 1 , Stella Lieback's burns link 2 . 2019-06-10 Back in 1992, 79-year-old Stella Liebeck, from Albuquerque, NM, sued McDonalds for serving coffee that was way too hot. Her argument: The coffee was too hot. The only way you can get the attention of a big company [is] to make punitive damages against them, said juror Marjorie Getman. Coffee experts assured the company that hot temperatures are necessary to fully extract the flavor during brewing.. 2021-11-17 The hot coffee movie reveals what actually happened to stella liebeck, the albuquerque, new mexico woman who spilled coffee on herself and sued mcdonald's, . During man-in-the-street interviews for the documentary Hot Coffee, one woman said of Liebeck, People are greedy and want money. In 1992, Stella Liebeck, a 79 year old woman from Albuquerque, New Mexico, sued McDonald’s after she sustained third-degree burns on her thighs, buttocks, and groin when she accidentally spilled coffee on herself. Second-degree burns involve the outer layer of skin and the layer beneath it. Despite this, it did 2017-09-25 The new complaint against Starbucks is reminiscent of a 1994 lawsuit filed against McDonald's by Stella Liebeck, who suffered severe burns , Friday, Jul 29, 2022. Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life. The woman submitted photos and medical documents back up her injury claims. This means that it was very hot and could easily cause burns. She had third degree burns on 6% of her body; the pictures of her injuries are shocking. . It must be an aberration. Stella Liebeck originally wrote McDonald's a letter asking them to reimburse her for the $10,000 in medical bills that accrued after the accident. He walks through some of the actual details of the case: As Conover put it, This was an incredibly rare case where a working-class victim actually beat a huge team of corporate lawyers and made the world a better place.. And then she ultimately wins millions of dollars from the fast food chain becoming rich due to a dumb mistake that was all on her. Now that you know what inspired the hot coffee lawsuit, here are some more things McDonalds employees wont tell you. This is 20 to 30 degrees hotter than the coffee served at most other restaurants. Liebeck is New Mexico woman who sued McDonald's after she was burned by a cup of coffee. There have also been lawsuits over injuries from other hot liquids. After hearing the evidence, the jury concluded that McDonalds handling of its coffee was so irresponsible that Liebeck should get much more than $20,000, suggesting she get nearly $2.9 million to send the company a message. success: function(response) { He has a passion for quality-focused journalism and believes in using technology to make people's lives better. [16] Instead, the company offered only $800. Lawyers for Stella Liebeck, 81,who suffered third-degree burns in the 1992 incident, contended that McDonald's coffee was too hot. McDonald's staunchly refused to settle despite multiple attempts to mediate the case before trial. ! Talk show host Craig Ferguson, Now [Liebeck] claims she broke her nose on the sneeze guard on Sizzlers salad bar bending over looking at the chickpeas. Jay Leno, Politicians jumped on the bandwagon: From vimeo.com Author Retro Report Views 27K. Home. [22][11], The judge reduced punitive damages to $480,000, three times the compensatory amount, for a total of $640,000. ","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "Liebeck's attorney based the lawsuit on a theory of negligence. She was hospitalized for eight days. This caused scalding hot coffee to spill on Liebeck, causing her serious injuries. And family oriented 3 reputation consumers 1stella. Support our mission, and make a gift today. However, the cup tipped over, pouring scalding hot coffee onto her. Liebeck retained an attorney, and much legal wrangling followed. A man said, The woman purchased the coffee and spilled it on herself. Im a nurse, and I was horrified by the type of injuries that she had sustained, said Liebecks daughter-in-law, Barbara Liebeck. (To put this in perspective, McDonald's revenue from coffee sales alone is in excess of $1.3 million a day. Liebecks case got picked up by the media, and the story that got relayed was sometimes distilled to little more than: A woman made $2.7 million by spilling coffee on herself. The coffee spilled on Liebecks lap, resulting in second- and third-degree burns over 16 percent of her body. 38-year-old Selena Edwards of Victorville, California had claimed that an unsecured lid on a cup of coffee she ordered in a McDonald's drive-through had caused serious burns to her hand, reports the Los Angeles Times. Commentary; July 27, 2011. Stella Liebeck's Injury and Hospitalization A vascular surgeon determined that Liebeck suffered full thickness burns (or third-degree burns) over 6 percent of her body. Heres how to remove coffee stains. Liebeck was the "little old lady" at the center of the infamous "McDonald's coffee lawsuit." . We wrote a letter to McDonalds asking them to check the temperature of the coffee and to give recompense for the medical bills., We said, Your machine must be too hot, so look at it, and fix it if its broken, said Liebecks son-in-law, Charles Allen. Her past medical expenses were $10,500; her anticipated future medical expenses were approximately $2,500; and her daughter's[13] loss of income was approximately $5,000 for a total of approximately $18,000. In 1992, Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman, ordered coffee from a McDonald’s drive-thru. A large portion of the film covered Liebeck's lawsuit. stella liebeck. The coffee that Ms. Liebeck spilled was extremely hot between 180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit and caused severe burns on her skin. The case became a punch line for late-night comedians and on Seinfeld. Affects your life Liebeck retained an attorney, and much legal wrangling followed spilled. 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