The McDonald's "Hot Coffee" movie is headed to Sundance:
Hot Coffee (Director: Susan Saladoff) - Following subjects whose lives have been devastated by an inability to access the courts, this film shows that many long-held beliefs about our civil justice system have been paid for by corporate America.
"Well if the coffee lady can get millions, why can't I get something that is fair??"
- One of my clients a few months ago.
It seems like I hear clients mention the "McDonald's lady" or the "coffee case" every month. It's synonymous with frivolous lawsuits and why our system needs "tort reform." Mind you, very few people have actually heard the facts:
- The plaintiff, Stella Liebeck, was the passenger in the car
- The judge in the case reduced the $2.7 million in punitive damages to $480,000. BUT, the parties entered into a confidential settlement
- McDonald's required the coffee to be held at 185 degrees; even though there's a burn risk at 140 degrees
- McDonald's "quality assurance manager" testified that despite the fact that burns would occur with the excessively hot coffee, McDonald's had no intention of reducing the holding temperature
- Liebeck's previous settlement offer? She had offered to settle her claim for $20,000
- Liebeck suffered 3rd degree burns over 6% of her body
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