[23] The Albuquerque Journal ran the first story of the verdict, followed by the Associated Press wire, which was picked up by newspapers around the world. This means that it was very hot and could easily cause burns. Stella Liebeck's family initially asked McDonald's to cover her out-of-pocket expenses. That is usually enough time to wipe away the coffee. After the hospital stay, Liebeck needed care for three weeks, which was provided by her daughter. Liebeck was ultimately awarded $2.7 million by a jury at trial, but that amount was reduced to $640,000 by the judge. e.preventDefault(); Her husband, Henry Gerhardt Liebeck, died in January 1991, just over a year before the famous spill. The Facts: This case was filed by Stella Liebeck of New Mexico, who, in February 1992, while in the passenger seat of her grandson's car, was severely burned by McDonalds' (The Actual facts About the McDonald's Coffee Case, n.d.) coffee after it spilled on her legs, groin and buttocks causing third-degree burns (Bracken, 2005). 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 was so hot, in fact, that it caused third-degree burns on the lady’s thighs, buttocks, and groin. With a passion for everything that gets geeks high were here to feed you with the latest news. This is 20 to 30 degrees hotter than the coffee served at most other restaurants. Liebeck sought to settle with McDonald's for $20,000 to cover her medical expenses. 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. McDonald's had a duty to Stella Liebeck to serve coffee at a temperature that would not cause serious burns. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Brad Pitt was the only winner of the Aniston-Jolie tabloid battle, Take a mental break with the newest Vox crossword, Sign up for the McDonalds had received more than 700 complaints about burns from hot beverages over the previous ten-year period. 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 . After seven days of testimony and four hours of deliberation, the jurors sided with Liebeck. [38] Similarly, as of 2004, Starbucks sells coffee at 175185F (7985C), and the executive director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America reported that the standard serving temperature is 160185F (7185C). 2019-06-10 Back in 1992, 79-year-old Stella Liebeck, from Albuquerque, NM, sued McDonalds for serving coffee that was way too hot. Stella Liebeck had third-degree burns, which are the most serious kind. [10] Liebeck was wearing cotton sweatpants; they absorbed the coffee and held it against her skin, scalding her thighs, buttocks, and groin. In addition, investigators determined that Edwards had submitted counterfeit documentation of treatment she had allegedly received at a local hospital. You can also contribute via. If youre lucky, it will produce second-degree burns, he said. Plaintiff Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman, suffered third-degree burns in her pelvic region when she accidentally spilled hot coffee in her lap after purchasing it from a McDonald's restaurant. In addition, they awarded her $2.7 million in punitive damages. They were so bad that she went into shock, and was immediately rushed to the emergency room, where she incurred $10,000 in medical bills. (We've spared you the gruesome photos here, but a simple Google Images search for "Stella Liebeck burns" will give you photographic evidence of the graphic, horrifying injuries Ms. Liebeck sustained.) These fast food court cases are ba-da-ba-ba-dumb. The woman burned by scalding hot coffee that she purchased at the drive through window was awarded almost $3 million by a jury after she spilled practically an entire cup of burning hot coffee on her thighs when wearing sweatpants and sitting in the passenger seat of a car. And Liebeck became the chum feeding the ensuing media frenzy: Ive been thinking of quitting work here and suing big companies for a living instead. On June 27, 2011, HBO premiered a documentary about tort reform problems titled Hot Coffee. She had to be hospitalized for eight days, and she required skin grafts and other treatment. From vimeo.com Author Retro Report Views 27K. Retro Report. ","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "In 2002, Caesar Barber filed a lawsuit against McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and KFC, claiming that their greasy and salty food had made him obese and unhealthy. The trial judge reduced the punitive damages to three times the amount of the compensatory damages, totalling $640,000. 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. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), 10 scandals that rocked the fast-food industry, things McDonalds employees wont tell you. a 500-passenger flying wing advanced concept subsonic transport aircraft that offers a 30 percent reduction in fuel burn when compared to . Here at DeviceMAG we take technology very serious, no matter if its a small gadget or a new device on the market. Liebeck suffered burns on her inner thighs, perineum, buttocks, and genital and groin areas. 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. We couldnt believe that this much damage could happen over spilled coffee, Liebecks daughter, Judy Allen, said in Scalded by the Media, a 2013 documentary about the case. Stella Liebeck was a woman who suffered serious burns as a result of coffee that was served to her at an unreasonably high temperature by McDonald’s. Her lawyers believed that McDonald’s was liable to Stella for their negligence, and were able to prove this in court. Thought the McDonald's Hot Coffee Spilling Lawsuit was Frivolous? Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman from Albuquerque, New Mexico bought a cup of coffee from a local McDonald's restaurant (Ralph & Wesley 268). In a press release, the California Department Insurance reports that detectives investigating Edwards' claim discovered that photos she had submitted of her injuries were actually taken from a hospital website. The woman claimed that an unsecured lid caused steaming hot McDonalds coffee to spill on her right hand, severely burning it. The case went to trial in 2005, but was ultimately dismissed. The infamous case led to various heated debates about "frivolous lawsuits," despite the fact that the severe burns required skin grafts on Liebeck's inner thighs. ","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "Mrs. Liebeck's lawyers believed that McDonalds was liable to Mrs. Liebeck because they served their coffee at an unreasonably high temperature. After the car stopped, she tried to hold the cup securely between her knees while removing the lid. This high temperature can result in a burnt flavor, and can also lead to a loss of flavor and aroma. Liebeck didnt want to go to court. She sued McDonald's and a jury awarded her nearly $3 million in punitive damages for the burns she suffered. [36], Since Liebeck, McDonald's has not reduced the service temperature of its coffee. Plus charts and cats. How the infamous mcdonald's hot coffee lawsuit (liebeck v. Big business uses the mcdonald's coffee case to . [35], Two years prior to Liebeck, a similar lawsuit was settled during the trial for $15 million due to injuries from a sink in a rented apartment. "}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "Who Sued McDonald's For Making Them Fat? She passed away in 2004, at the age of 91. All rights reserved. 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. School Portland State University; Course Title BA 385; Type. However, the verdict was later overturned on appeal. Physician Reimbursement, 2019-11-05 Prices may vary. 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. They heard experts testify about how hot coffee should be and that McDonalds coffee was 30 to 40 degrees hotter than coffee served by other companies. ! 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: "I was in terrible pain." She went into shock, and her grandson rushed her to the emergency room, where she underwent surgery and received skin grafts. Liebeck v. McDonald's: The Big Burn: With Zachary Green, John Llewellyn, Stella Liebeck, Judy Allen. When you read, Woman Coffee Millions it sounds like a rip-off, John Llewellyn, a professor of communication at Wake Forest University, said. How hot was the coffee? Lawyers for Stella Liebeck, 81,who suffered third-degree burns in the 1992 incident, contended that McDonald's coffee was too hot. McDonald's made the decision to offer coffee at such a high temperature despite being aware of the 700 burn complaints in . In this case, the restaurant was negligent in heating the coffee to such a high temperature. She received third-degree burns over 16 . Stella shad sustained incredibly gruesome third-degree burns on her legs, lap, and groin. Liebeck placed the coffee cup between her knees and pulled the far side of the lid toward her to remove it. He should run again. Liebeck's attorney, Reed Morgan, and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America defended the result in Liebeck by claiming that McDonald's reduced the temperature of its coffee after the suit, although it is not clear whether McDonald's in fact had done so. She was in a parked car when the coffee spilled. Scott. Liebeck suffered nightmarish injuries, including massive third-degree burns. 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, . As for her injury: why the discrepancy between "six percent" and "16 percent" burn area? McDonalds reps suggested that the blame lay with Liebeck for holding the cup between her legs. A legal associate measured the serving temperature of coffee at multiple fast food restaurants and found that McDonald's had the highest: 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Stella Liebeck never regained the strength and energy she had before she was burned. 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