What is the hot coffee movie about?
An eye-opening documentary with jaw-dropping revelations, HOT COFFEE exposes how corporations spend millions on propaganda campaigns to distort Americans’ view of lawsuits—forever changing the civil justice system. Hot Coffee is a 2011 documentary film that analyzes and discusses the impact of tort reform on the United States judicial system.
Has anyone successfully sued McDonald’s?
McDonald’s is a well-known product liability lawsuit that became a flash point in the debate in the U. S. Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who sued McDonald’s after she suffered third-degree burns from hot coffee that was spilled on . A jury found McDonald’s liable for injuries suffered by a customer who spilled hot coffee on herself, and awarded her in excess of $2. Stella Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants, P. T. S. Inc. McDonald’s International, Inc.According to a CNN Business article, a California jury ordered Starbucks to pay $50 million to a delivery driver severely burned by a hot beverage. Similar to the famous McDonald’s coffee lawsuit, this case highlights corporate responsibility, consumer safety, and personal injury law.
How old was the woman who sued McDonald’s?
Stella Liebeck, the 79-year-old woman who was severely burned by McDonald’s coffee that she spilled in her lap in 1992, was unfairly held up as an example of frivolous litigation in the public eye. A jury found McDonald’s liable for injuries suffered by a customer who spilled hot cup of coffee on herself, and awarded her in excess of $2. Stella Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants, P. T. S. Inc. McDonald’s International, Inc.
Was the McDonald’s coffee lawsuit real?
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. She sued McDonald’s and a jury awarded her nearly $3 million in punitive damages for the burns she suffered. Typical reaction: Isn’t coffee supposed to be hot? McDonald’s operations manual required the franchisee to hold its coffee at 180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Coffee at that temperature, if spilled, causes third-degree burns in three to seven seconds.
How much money did the woman who sued McDonald’s get?
Liebeck was awarded a net $160,000 in compensatory damages to cover medical expenses, and $2. The jury awarded $200,000 in compensatory damages to Liebeck, which was reduced to $160,000 in collectible damages, as the jury found Liebeck 20 percent liable for the spill. The jury also awarded Liebeck $2. Afterward, the trial court reduced punitive damages to $480,000.