Most people have heard about the woman who sued McDonald’s after she spilled hot coffee in her lap and scalded herself. The case is some times referred to as the McDonald’s coffee case or hot coffee case. This well-known but misunderstood case is typically abused – by those who do not understand the facts of the case – as an example of what is wrong with the American tort system and people willing to file bogus lawsuits. Most people have only heard about the case through word of mouth or have forgotten about it because it happened in 1992 and went to court in 1994.

The case was Stella Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants, P.T.S., Inc. et al., and because the case settled before appeal there is no published court opinion. People who don’t fully understand the case ask how could someone recover money for spilling hot coffee in their lap when everyone knows that coffee is hot. Without all the facts people assume she got some wind-fall and that the civil justice system failed. This, however, could not be further from the truth.

Stella Liebeck, was 79 years-old when she purchased coffee from McDonald’s in a styrofoam cup, and while attempting to put cream in her coffee spilled coffee all over her lap and suffered third degree burns to her thighs, buttocks, and genitals. The photos of her burns are quit graphic. Most people don’t know that she was found partially at-fault for her burns and that the millions she was awarded, in addition to compensatory damages for her medical bills, was $2.7 million in punitive damages (which was reduced by the judge based on state law) for McDonald’s reckless, callous, and willful conduct. During the trial testimony it was apparent that McDonald’s was aware of hundreds of other reports of customers suffering burns from their hot coffee and that it knew coffee at 180 to 190 was unfit for consumption as it would burn the mouth and throat.

A great documentary called Hot Coffee Is Justice Being Served? by Susan Saladoff covers Ms. Leibeck’s case as well as other examples of injustice in the American judicial system from tort reform and judicial elections. You can find more information about the movie at the website Hot Coffee The Movie.