In 1992, a 79-year-old lady Stella Liebeck bought a cup of takeout coffee at the McDonald’s in New Mexico, she spilled it on her lap. She sued McDonald’s and ultimately the jury awarded her nearly 3 million dollars in punitive damages for the burns she suffered.
We may have heard of “frivolous lawsuits” which have been widely popularised in the United States, and this story also seems like one of those cases and it was popularised my media in the 1990’s to be a part of the bandwagon where innocent businesses had to pay millions for petty accidents or incidents. But in this case, published material suggests otherwise.
Stella Liebeck was parked in the parking lot of the McDonald’s where she bought the coffee. To add sugar to the coffee, she kept the cup between her knees and accidentally spilled the contents on herself while removing the lid. The coffee was not just hot, but it has been termed as “dangerously hot”.
She was wearing sweatpants which absorbed the contents, and she had to be rushed to a hospital for treatment. On examination, it was found that she had suffered from third degree burns and was hospitalised for 8 days and required skin grafting treatment. Her recovery too lasted for 2 years.
Liebeck had initially requested her medical treatment cost amounting to twenty thousand dollars to be reimbursed by McDonald’s, but when they offered her only 800 dollars as the settlement, she pursued the case and was ultimately awarded almost 3 million dollars.
This case highlighted other facts like 700 previous reports of injury from the coffee, including third degree burns. The McDonald’s franchise documents revealed that the water temperature was kept at 190 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas the average temperature at home is 135-150, and restaurants usually go up to 160. McDonald’s did not have any sign warning people about the hot contents, and many times we read the “Caution: Contents Hot” label, and this played a role in that message!
Image credits: Aronberglaw
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