Darwin wrote:
] quoted:
] ====
] Stella Liebeck of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was in the
] passenger seat of her grandson's car when she was severely
] burned by McDonald's coffee in February 1992. Liebeck ordered
] coffee that was served in a Styrofoam cup at the drive-through
] window of a local McDonald's.
]
] After receiving the order, the grandson pulled his car forward
] and stopped momentarily so that Liebeck
] could add cream and sugar to her coffee. (Critics of civil
] justice, who have pounced on this case, often charge that
] Liebeck was driving the car or that the vehicle was in motion
] when she spilled the coffee; neither is true.) Liebeck placed
] the cup between her knees and attempted to remove the plastic
] lid from the cup. As she removed the lid, the entire contents
] of the cup spilled into her lap.
]
] The sweatpants Liebeck was wearing absorbed the coffee and
] held it next to her skin. A vascular surgeon determined that
] Liebeck suffered full thickness burns (or third-degree burns)
] over 6 percent of her body, including her inner thighs,
] perineum, buttocks, and genital and groin areas. She was
] hospitalized for eight days, during which time she underwent
] skin grafting. Liebeck, who also underwent debridement
] treatments, sought to settle her claim for $20,000, but
] McDonald's refused.
]
] During discovery, McDonald's produced documents showing more
] than 700 claims by people burned by its coffee between 1982
] and 1992. Some claims involved third-degree burns
] substantially similar to Liebeck's. This history documented
] McDonald's knowledge about the extent and nature of this
] hazard.

I remember when I first heard about this case. I thought that the woman was over exaggerating her injury. Everything I read was from terrible news sources (The local Phoenix paper). It wasn't until recently that I discovered just how much she actually had to go through because of her burns. Their coffee really is too damn hot.

RE: FACT SHEET: MCDONALD'S SCALDING COFFEE CASE