THE MCDONALD'S HOT COFFEEAND ITS FALLOUT
The Stella Awards
●Named after StellaLiebeck and theMcDonalds case
●Given to wild,ridiculous, outrageouslawsuits
●Lasted from 2002-2007
MCDONALDS HOT COFFEELAWSUIT 1992- FRIVOLOUS?
● Talk Show Host David Letterman featured it twiceon of his famous Top 10 Lists
●Top 10 Dr. Kevorkian Tips For the Summer
●4. Take a bunch of friends to McDonalds. Pour hotcoffee on them
●Top 10 Blizzard Tips
●8. Clean off driveway with one scalding hot cup ofcoffee from McDonalds
McDonald's Lawsuit and Pop Culture
Seinfeld Episode Featured Hot Coffee Spoof
The Real Story
●79 year old StellaLiebeck went throughthe drive through atMcDonalds with herGrandson
●Bought 49cent cup ofcoffee, placed betweenher knees to put creamand sugar in and topcame off- car wasparked at the time
The Real Story (continued)
●Spilt coffee on thighs,buttocks, causing 2ndand 3rd degree burns-
●Liebeck wanted $20000- for medicalexpenses
●McDonalds offered$800
●Coffee was found to beserved at severely hottemperature
Verdict
●2.9 million was decidedby the verdict, or whichLiebeck was entitled to80% under theguidelines ofcontributory negligenceand comparitiveblameworthiness
●Eventually got reducedto $480 000
HOT COFFEE....THE MOVIE
Hot Coffee The Movie
●Title inspired by StellaLiebeck's Case anddetails four struggles forjustice
●Shot documentary styleand starts with StellaLiebeck's case vsMcDonalds
Case #2: Colin Gourley
●Born with CerebralPalsy at birth due tomedical malpractice
●Awarded 5.6 milliondollars at trial, due toNebraska state law cap,only got 1.25 milliondollars
●His struggle, along withhis family isdocumented
Case #3: Oliver Diaz
●U.S. Politician Karl Rovesought to remove electedjudges who were againstcapping tort awards
●Diaz was a judge that wastargetted and big businesstried to get him voted out
●Did not work, but a way wasfound to remove him viabogus charges
●Inspired John Grisham's bookThe Appeal
Case #4: Jamie Leigh Jones
●Jones accused hercoworkers of rape whileworking in Iraq forKPR/ Haliburton
● Could not file criminalcharges and forcedarbitration clause incontract meant she losther right to jury trial-
●Sen Al Franken wonright to have this clauseremoved
McDonalds Hot Coffee Cases...StillHappening
●SURREY BC: NancySaad suing because thecoffee she ordered at adrive through spilt onher after the lid poppedoff
●Has burns to lower partof body, is in pain, posttraumatic stressdisorder, mental illness
●Seeking compensation
Cook County Illinois
●4 year old Lynn Abedalmisheard herGrandmother's requestto throw away hercoffee cup- she went toget her a refill
●Given a cup w/ lid notsecured and spilt it onherself taking it to hergrandmother
●Got 2nd degree burns-lawsuit is for $ 1.4M
Rockford, Illinois
●35 yr old MelissaPettigrew burned herthighs and abdomenafter she ordered acoffee at a drivethrough and it gotspilled
●Husband has suffered“Loss of Consortium”
●Unsafe lids, inpropertraining part of law suit
Is this the new version of theMcDonalds Hot Coffee Case?
●59 year old Wayne Watson(left) won 7.2M lawsuit for“popcorn lung”
●Had inhaled butter flavouredpopcorn for years
●discovered that company shouldhave warned him of the effect ofdiactyl (a harmful part ofbuttered popcorn)
●Company 80% responsible,while Kroger Supermarket 20%responsible
●43 workers at a popcorn planthave filed class action suit-earlier cases settled for 37M
You Want To Sue Me? Just Try andCatch Me!
