The right for an injured person to seek compensation after an accident is an important recourse in our justice system. However, that right is continuously under scrutiny by large corporations and certain politicians. Inevitably, these interested parties point to the infamous case of the woman from Albuquerque who spilled hot coffee on herself and sued McDonalds for millions of dollars.
They call the case frivolous and so do many Americans, until they know the actual facts of the case:
- The cup of McDonald’s coffee in question was not only hot, it was scalding, between 180 and 190 degrees. Just 20 degrees hotter, and it would have been boiling. In comparison, the coffee you drink at home is around 140 degrees.
- Ms. Liebeck suffered 3rd degree burns over 6% of her body.
- She was hospitalized for eight days, where she had multiple skin graft procedures to repair the damage. Despite their efforts, she had extensive scaring for the rest of her life.
- Early on, Ms. Liebeck attempted to settle her case with McDonald’s for $20,000 to cover a portion of her medical bills. The company refused, forcing her to take them to court.
- She won a $2.7 million dollar punitive verdict. However, the judge reduced that amount to $480,000.
To learn more about the McDonald’s hot coffee case, check out Hot Coffee—an eye-opening documentary by Susan Saladoff. If you’ve been injured due to a defective or dangerous product, call the product liability lawyers at Norris Injury Lawyers. Let us put our experience to work for you.
