The Story Behind the Infamous McDonald's Coffee Case & How Corporations Used it to Push Tort Reform

[democracy1st]

Run time: 13:37 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2ktM-lIfeQ   Posted on YouTube: January 25, 2011 By YouTube Member: mediagrrl9 Views on YouTube: 587   Posted on DU: January 26, 2011 By DU Member: democracy1st Views on DU: 779

 
DemocracyNow.org -
Stella Liebeck made national headlines in 1992 when she sued McDonald's after spilling a scalding cup of hot coffee on her lap. The lawsuit had the whole country talking. But what most people do not know is that Liebeck suffered third-degree burns over 16 percent of her body and never fully recovered. And most people do not know that corporations have spent millions of dollars distorting her story to promote tort reform. Liebeck's case is featured in the documentary Hot Coffee, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Monday. Democracy Now! interviews two members of her family about her case.

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[old mark]

1. K&R- I talked about this in a college class a few years later...many seemed to think

she sued the local owners of the McDonalds, but she sued the CORPORATION, as the super hort coffee was- and still is- company wide policy. I read that the amount of her award equaled the profits from coffee sales for McD's for all of 20 seconds, hardly a terrible punishment...Yet the lawyers and spin doctors used it foa all it was worth.


mark

[deutsey]

2. Kick

[pam4water]

3. Back when I tried to explain things to repukes I found picture of the burns on line and though that

would change a repuks mind. Silly me.

[saras]

4. I wish I could say 'duh'

The facts seemed to be a trivial part of the story right from the beginning.

http://www.animations.physics.unsw.edu.au/jw/superheating.htm

http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave.asp

Even separate from the story, I still run into people who *think* they know physics, insisting this can't happen.