You may have received an email about a “frivolous” lawsuit over a woman spilling McDonalds coffee in her lap—and winning millions of dollars. It is suspected that emails like these are widely circulated by the “spin doctors” in charge of pushing propaganda to get people to support tort reform.
Those emails were slanted to support their agenda and did not truthfully report what happened to Ms. Liebeck, the elderly injured woman. Here’s what they might not have told you:
- She received third degree burns to her inner thighs, genitals, and buttocks.
- She was in the hospital for eight days. She had to have skin grafts and burned tissue surgically removed.
- The coffee was 185 degrees. Testimony by McDonald’s quality assurance manager indicated that they knew a burn hazard was present above 140 degrees, yet they chose to keep it 45 degrees hotter.
- McDonalds own records indicate more than 700 people claimed they were burned by their coffee between 1982 and 1993, some third degree burns, and still the company refused to lower the temperature.
- Ms. Liebeck originally tried to settle her claim with McDonalds for $20,000, but they refused.
- A jury assigned her 20% responsibility for the injury because she spilled the coffee.
- The judge said that McDonalds conduct was reckless, willful, and callous.
And what about those millions of dollars she received? Fiction. She was awarded $160,000 in compensatory damages. For punitive damages she was first awarded $2.7 million, the equivalent of two days of McDonalds coffee sales, but it was reduced to $480,000. After the verdict, Ms. Liebeck and McDonalds reached a settlement.
Do big corporations need to be held financially responsible for their reckless, willful, and callous actions when those actions harm someone? Are financial awards one of the few and most effective ways to hold those corporations responsible? As mesothelioma attorneys fighting for the rights of our clients, we strongly say “YES!”
If you or a loved one has developed mesothelioma from the negligence of an asbestos company, you have a right to seek compensation, just as Ms. Liebeck did. Contact our experienced mesothelioma lawyers today for a free consultation.
Tags: defense tactics, settlement
