[37][38] The Specialty Coffee Association of America supports improved packaging methods rather than lowering the temperature at which coffee is served. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) _ A woman who was scalded when her McDonald's coffee spilled won a jury award of nearly $2.9 million - or about two days' coffee sales for the fast-food chain. 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. a bail system that excessively punishes the poor. 2013-10-18 Liebeck V. McDonalds: The Big Burn. McDonald's staunchly refused to settle despite multiple attempts to mediate the case before trial. Please enter a valid email and try again. She spilled the coffee, was burned, and a year later, sued McDonald's. The jury awarded her $2.9 million dollars. Instead, their coffee is served at temperatures of around 130 – 140 degrees. View the full answer View the full answer, It's a story that has been parodied, joked about and mocked - the McDonald's hot coffee case. Stella May Liebeck was born in Norwich, England, on December 14, 1912; she was 79 at the time of the burn incident. How the infamous mcdonald's hot coffee lawsuit (liebeck v. Big business uses the mcdonald's coffee case to . We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Moreover, the Shriner's Burn Institute in Cincinnati had published warnings to the franchise food industry that its members were unnecessarily causing serious scald burns by serving beverages above 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Photo: Bill Litant Previous image Next image. [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). ","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "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. Consumer advocates say the distorted narrative picked up speed because business interests and some lawmakers used it as a way to create a public belief that frivolous lawsuits were common and that jury verdicts were running amok, all in an effort to advance a tort reform agenda that limits consumers ability to hold wrongdoers accountable. During the court hearing, it came to light that the restaurant had fielded hundreds of complaints about burns from their coffee, and had settled many claims in the past, some for as much as $500,000. 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 . She was initially willing to settle for a payment of her medical bills and lost wages, only moving ahead with a more punitive civil case when the McDonald's corporation offered compensation of a mere $100, according to Consumer Attorneys Of California (CAOC). Liebeck, 79 years old at the time of the incident, was injured when her grandson stopped so that she could add cream and sugar to the coffee. That meant that the coffee in question was brewed at temperatures that would approximate the temperature in your cars radiator after you drive from your office to home, said one of Liebecks lawyers, Ken Wagner. August 18, 2017 On Aug. 18, 1994, a New Mexico civil jury awarded 79-year-old Albuquerque, New Mexico, resident Stella Liebeck $2.86 million in compensatory and punitive damages for severe scalding burns she sustained from spilling a 49-cent cup of McDonald's coffee. Stella Liebeck was a 79-year-old woman in Albuquerque, New Mexico, whose grandson drove her to McDonalds in 1992. 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. Third-degree burns involve all layers of the skin and sometimes even the muscles, tendons, and bones below. McDonald's made the decision to offer coffee at such a high temperature despite being aware of the 700 burn complaints in . The general facts of the case. Plus charts and cats. She sued the restaurant chain, and was awarded $2.9 million . McDonalds had a reason for requiring its coffee to be served at that temperature, reported the Wall Street Journalit tasted better. On October 21, 2013, The New York Times published a Retro Report video about the media reaction and an accompanying article about the changes in coffee drinking over 20 years. 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. In the case of Liebeck vs. McDonald's, Stella Liebeck was burned by hot coffee she purchased through the drive thru at McDonald's and spilled in her lap in the passenger seat, receiving third degree burns which caused her to go into shock and require skin grafts in the hospital (Retro Report, 2015).Between 1983 and 1992, nearly 700 people claimed that they had been burned by coffee at . McDonalds reps suggested that the blame lay with Liebeck for holding the cup between her legs. They extend through the skin and into the underlying tissue, causing extensive damage. Here at DeviceMAG we take technology very serious, no matter if its a small gadget or a new device on the market. Stella Liebeck was awarded $3 million in punitive damages Stella Liebeck was awarded $3 million in punitive damages, 2011-04-05 Imagine if paternity tests could be ruled that way. [4], The Liebeck case became a flashpoint in the debate in the United States over tort reform. But because she caused the spill, they reduced the amount to $160,000. [30], Since Liebeck, major vendors of coffee, including Chick-Fil-A,[31] Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, Wendy's, Burger King,[32] hospitals,[33] and McDonald's[34] have been defendants in similar lawsuits over coffee-related burns. According to a beverage resource manual, the standard temperature for hot Starbucks drinks is between 150 and 170 degrees. In 1992, 79-year-old Stella Liebeck bought a cup of takeout coffee at a McDonald's drive-thru in Albuquerque and spilled it on her lap. They also presented the jury with expert testimony that 190F (88C) coffee may produce third-degree burns (where skin grafting is necessary) in about three seconds and 180F (82C) coffee may produce such burns in about twelve to fifteen seconds. "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. Children’s drinks are typically served at 130 degrees. She placed the cup of coffee between her legs and attempted to remove the lid. Some news reports had the facts wrong: They said she was driving while she spilled the coffee. After a long legal battle, Ms. Liebeck was ultimately awarded $2.9 million in compensatory damages and $480,000 in punitive damages. The 1992 McDonalds Drive-thru Coffee Burn Incident; coffee was 180190 F ( 8288 C). She passed away in 2004, at the age of 91. In 1992, news media across the United States exploded over a now-infamous personal injury case in which a woman (Stella Liebeck) was awarded just short of $3 million in damages when she spilled a cup of scalding hot coffee in her lap. November 28, 2021 by . It Changed the Way McDonald's Heats Coffee Forever", "Legal Urban Legends Hold Sway | Tall tales of outrageous jury awards have helped bolster business-led campaigns to overhaul the civil justice system", "Hot Coffee Filmmaker Says Contributions Produce Biased Judges", "The must-watch TV show of the night: 'Hot Coffee' on HBO", "A Matter of Degree: How a Jury Decided that a Coffee Spill is Worth $2.9 Million", "The McDonald's Coffee Cup Case: Separating McFacts From McFiction", "Urban legends and Stella Liebeck and the McDonald's coffee case", "Angelina and Jack McMahon, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. Bunn-O-Matic Corporation, James River Paper Company, and Wincup Holdings, L.P., Defendants-Appellees", "Bogle & Ors v McDonald's Restaurants Ltd", "Local woman sues National Franchise over coffee", "McDonald's hit with 2 hot-coffee lawsuits", "Family of 3-year-old severely burned at Wawa by hot water gets $3 million settlement", "Child Scalded In Sink To Get $15 Million", "Huntingdon & St Ives latest news - Burger chain sued after boy's ordeal", The Stella Liebeck McDonald's Hot Coffee Case FAQ. After receiving the coffee, she placed it between her legs while she attempted to remove the lid. McDonalds admitted that its coffee was a hazard at such high temperatures. reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and In the process of taking the lid off, some coffee spilled onto her lap. )"}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "How Hot Was The McDonalds Coffee That Burned The Lady? Liebeck sought to settle with McDonald's for $20,000 to cover her medical expenses. The coffee spilled and caused third-degree burns in her pelvic region. The key is to prove that the coffee was defective in some way and that this caused your injuries. How, 11 Followers, 2 Following, 0 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Lii Bella (@stella.liebeck). If youre not as lucky, you will get third-degree or full-thickness burns requiring skin grafting and surgery. Jurors were given a graphic example of what he was talking about when they were shown photos of Liebecks burned groin and skin grafts. McDonalds responded with an offer of $800. Liebeck's thighs sustained third-degree burns so severe she required skin grafts. On February 27, 1992, Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old widow, was in the passenger seat of her grandsons Ford Probe ordering a Value Meal at the drive-through window of an Albuquerque, New Mexico, McDonalds. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), 10 scandals that rocked the fast-food industry, things McDonalds employees wont tell you. How hot was the coffee? ","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "Yes, you can sue for hot coffee. success: function(response) { What she took issue with was that the coffee was so ridiculously hot at up to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, near boiling point that it caused third-degree burns on her legs and genitals, nearly killing her and requiring extensive surgery to treat. 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). 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. McDonald's went on to offer Liebeck a small amount of $800. But the McDonalds hot coffee case isnt one of those problems. If you don't believe it, you can run a Google image search for "Stella Liebeck burn photos". Joe Biden is pretty good at being president. asking for $20,000 but McDonald's declined that settlement. 2012-08-27 Do you remember late last year when Barbara Laurie sued Tim Hortons in Alberta because she claimed her Iced Coffee was toxic? Stella Liebeck never regained the strength and energy she had before she was burned. 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. During the trial, Liebecks surgeon, David Arredondo, MD, told the jury that if liquid at that temperature makes contact with skin for more than a few seconds, it will cause very serious burns. The trial judge reduced the punitive damages to three times the amount of the compensatory damages, totalling $640,000. 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