During the 1990's a popular sentiment in the United States was that people could sue other people for just about anything. Frivolous lawsuits were condemned and one in particular was the story of a woman who had burned her vagina after spilling coffee in her lap. Surprise! Coffee is hot.
The results have been pop culture comedy on TV shows like Seinfeld and on the floor of the Senate where the hot coffee case was lambasted as a waste of the judicial system and abuse of corporations by people looking to attack large wealthy companies to get a piece of the economic pie for themselves, also called jackpot justice. Even radio talk show host and devout Christian, Dave Ramsey, referenced this year that "coffee is hot" when talking about taking personal responsibility for one's actions.
What was overlooked was that this case involved very real injuries that involved third degree burns, skin grafts, and a business that had received hundreds of complaints about burn injuries regarding a product that was proven to cause severe burns in under five seconds.
Also overlooked was the fact that real people were involved, such as the woman who was hospitalized and disabled as a result of the burns, the judge who decided the case was worthy of being tried, the jury of everyday citizens who decided the damages, and the corporate executives who denied the inured woman's initial request to simply cover her hospital bills and consider a more secure lid for customer safety.
The Myth of the McDonald's Hot Coffee Case
Most people interviewed regarding this article who were familiar with the lawsuit that occurred as a result of this incident seem to have a similar notion of what exactly happened.
A woman had ordered a cup of coffee at a McDonald's drive through and drove off with the cup between her knees. It spilled and was hot. She sued McDonald's and "got millions of dollars."
The Truth About the Lawsuit Between Stella Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants
The year was 1992. Stella Leibeck had recently retired and relocated to be closer to her family. At 79-years-old, she was still active, living independently and driving daily.
Liebeck and her grandson had gone to a McDonald's restaurant to get a cup of coffee. After getting the coffee, Liebeck's grandson (who was driving) pulled into a parking spot so she could put in her milk and sugar. The cup spilled and Liebeck found herself to be in excrutiating pain in her thigh and pelvic area. Her grandson rushed her to the hospital where she stayed for eight days for the necessary surgeries she had to undergo as a result.
Ms. Liebeck had requested that the corporation handle her medical bills of $10,500 at that point. The corporation countered with an $800 offer in reply. After many attempts to have her medical bills taken care of Ms. Liebeck, who never regained the same level of health again, was compelled to find justice through the court system.
During the trial, it was discovered that the McDonald's corporation wanted coffee brewed at more than 180 degrees, which is 50 degrees hotter than is safe for food to be served. After more than 700 complaints, the company did not change its policy.
When the jury deliberated, Ms. Liebeck was awarded $160,000 to compensate her for her related medical expenses over the course of the past two years. Then, to alleviate her pain and suffering that accompanied the surgeries, hospitalization, and dramatically decreased quality of life that came with losing 20% of her body weight in the initial stages of her injury, rendering her to a wheel chair because she was so weak, Ms. Liebeck was awarded $2.7 million. This amount was equivalent to two days of coffee sales.
The End of the McDonald's Hot Coffee Story
The judge presiding over the case decided that $2.86 million was excessive, so he reduced the amount to $640,000. McDonald's appealed the case and the two parties settled for a sum under $600,000 and along with Ms. Liebeck's request that the company use a more secure lid and brew their coffee at a lower temperature, she agreed to a gag clause, preventing her from discussing the matter ever again.
In the end, Ms. Liebeck suffered greatly and was publicly humiliated in the media as the prime example of those looking for jackpot justice. Her life was cut shorter, no doubt, but the quality of the life of all those who drink hot drinks at McDonald's today is immeasurably better because she had the courage and grace to fight for the rights of others over her own financial interests, even if those were not her initial intentions.
For more information, watch the documentary Hot Coffee on HBO.
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