Unveiling the Truth About the McDonald’s Famous Coffee Lawsuit

The McDonald’s coffee lawsuit was examined in 1992 when Stella Liebeck of Albuquerque, New Mexico suffered third-degree burns due to the hot coffee she ordered at McDonald. This event caused many people to react and some even ridiculed Liebeck. Well, here is the whole story of this coffee case.

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In February 1992, Liebeck, 79 at that time, ordered McDonald’s coffee through the drive-thru. She was in the passenger seat of her grandson’s car. Once she received the order, her grandson drove off and stopped so that Liebeck could attend to her coffee. So, Liebeck held the cup with her knees and tried to remove the plastic lid from the cup to add cream and sugar to her coffee. On the other hand, as she was removing it, the cup turned, filling her lap with coffee. Liebeck was rushed to the nearest hospital with third-degree burns.

The Doctor’s Findings

A vascular surgeon said that Liebeck suffered third-degree burns over 16 percent of her body. These include her legs, rear, perineum, belly and genital areas. Her skin was burned to the layers of muscle and fatty tissue.

Liebeck was hospitalized for eight days. She also underwent skin grafting and debridement treatments. Because of these, she sought $20,000 claim to McDonald’s. On the other hand, McDonald’s refused to settle the claim. So, Liebeck pursued the case to court.

The Court’s Verdict

The court decision favored Liebeck. She was awarded $200,000 in compensation for her pain and medical costs. On the other hand, it was reduced to $160,000 because the jury found her 20 percent at fault. She also was given $2.7 million in punitive damages, yet it was reduced to $480,000. This was for McDonald’s behavior that had been “willful, wanton, and reckless.” Afterwards, Liebeck and McDonalds entered into a secret settlement that was not revealed in public.

Evidence That Wins This Case

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Reed Morgan, the lawyer of Stella Liebeck, presented the following evidence in court.

According to corporate specifications, McDonald’s serves coffee at 180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. If spilled, this causes third-degree burns in two to seven seconds.

The American Museum of Tort Law stated that the food giant was aware of similar incidents. On the other hand, it decided that, with so many cups of coffee served every years, this number of scalds was not worth noticing. It is reported that there were 700 other victims who had suffered from McDonald’s hot coffee.

Kenneth Wagner, the lawyer who represented Liebeck, said that the company was aware of such matters, even before Liebeck’s case,  and that the water’s temperature reached about 190F, with this being the franchise’s policy about coffee and the water’s temperature. He further said that they had acknowledged that such boiling water was unsafe and that it should be cooler.

• The chairman of the department of mechanical engineering and biomechanical engineering at the University of Texas attested that this risk of harm is intolerable and obnoxious.
• McDonald claimed that it knew about the possibility of severe burns from its hot coffee for over 10 years. From 19982 to 1992,  it was reported that its scalding hot coffee had burned over 700 people. These people mostly suffered burns in the perineum, genital area, buttocks, and inner thighs.
• McDonald’s admitted that it did not warn people for the risk of its scalding hot coffee. However, apparently, it could not deliver any explanation as to why no measures were taken.
• McDonald’s witnesses testified that there was no current plan to change the procedure that they were using right now.
• McDonald also admitted that its hot coffee should not be consumed when sold. This is due to causes of severe burns if it was spilled on one’s skin.
• The physician of Liebeck testified that he had never seen more terrifying burns in his career.

The Conclusion

This Liebeck’s case indeed makes a difference and should act like a warning for other people as well. The day after the verdict, the news media stated that the McDonald’s coffee is Albuquerque is now sold at 158 degrees. On the other hand, this will still cause third-degree burns in about 60 seconds, instead of two to seven seconds. So, the level of safety has augmented because of the verdict.