The Truth Behind the Infamous Hot Coffee Lawsuit Against McDonald's is Exposed by Documentary
Everyone has heard about the lawsuit filed McDonald's by a consumer who complained that her coffee was too hot. It's referred to by legislators, lawyers and the public as the prime example of frivolous litigation. The truth about the lawsuit, however, is surprising. In fact, the Plaintiff was a passenger in the vehicle (not the driver as has been widely reported) and suffered 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 after the incident. This was no minor injury. Especially when McDonald's had already received more than 700 reports of people being burned by the coffee, knew that they required their coffee to be served at 40-50 degrees higher than what would cause burns to the mouth and throat, and still refused to lower the temperature of their coffee. For a full description of the facts of the case, go here.
The documentary "Hot Coffee", introduced at the Sundance Film Festival this year, exposes the true facts of the case, and tries to provide better insight into the tort reform attempts sweeping our nation. One can only hope that it gets wider distribution so that the public understands what really happened in this action.
