McDonald's coffee case, was a 1994 product liability case that
became very popular in the United States. Stella Liebeck, a 79 year old woman suffered third degree burns in her groin when she accidentally spilled hot coffee in her lap after buying it from a McDonald's restaurant. She had the cup between her knees while removing the lid to add cream and
sugar when the cup tipped over and spilled the entire contents on her lap. Liebeck was
hospitalized for eight days, followed by two years of medical treatment.
Liebeck's
attorneys argued that at 180–190 °F (82–88 °C) McDonald's coffee was
defective, claiming it was too hot and more likely to cause serious injury than
coffee served at any other establishment. McDonald's had refused several prior
opportunities to settle for less than what the jury ultimately awarded. The jury damages included
$160,000 to cover medical expenses and compensatory damage and $2.7 million in punitive damages. The
trial judge reduced the final verdict to $640,000, and the parties settled for a confidential
amount before an appeal was decided.
Liebeck’s case was far from an isolated event. McDonald’s
had received more than 700 previous reports of injury from its coffee, including
reports of third-degree burns, and had paid settlements in some cases.
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