{"id":6796,"date":"2025-01-17T02:25:25","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T02:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/?p=6796"},"modified":"2025-01-17T02:25:27","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T02:25:27","slug":"woman-awarded-27m-from-lawsuit-against-mcdonalds-after-coffee-spill-on-lap-in-carpark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/archives\/6796","title":{"rendered":"Woman awarded $2,7M from lawsuit against McDonald\u2019s after coffee spill on lap in carpark"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A woman was awarded $2.7 million after spilling hot coffee on her lap in a McDonald\u2019s parking lot, leading to a lawsuit.\n

In a famous case from 1992, Stella Liebeck was awarded $2.7 million after suffering serious burns from hot coffee purchased at\u00a0McDonald\u2019s.\n

Stella accidentally spilled coffee on her lap while in a car driven by her grandson in a parking lot.\n

The coffee was extremely hot, and the burns were severe, leading to a lengthy\u00a0legal battle.\n

The 1992 case involved Stella\u2019s severe burns from hot McDonald\u2019s coffee.\u00a0\n
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Table of Contents\n\n
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The woman spills McDonald\u2019s coffee on her lap in carpark\n
The customer decided to sue McDonald\u2019s after severe damages from coffee spill\n
Woman awarded $2,7M from lawsuit against McDonald\u2019s after a coffee spill on a lap in carpark\n
The case significantly changed consumer safety discussions.\n
Woman\u2019s life after the lawsuit\n\n\n\n
The woman spills McDonald\u2019s coffee on her lap in carpark\n
The accident happened when Stella was trying to add cream and sugar to her coffee while seated in the car.\n
As she attempted to take the lid off, the cup tipped over, spilling the scalding liquid on her.\n
The coffee was found to be at a temperature of around 190 degrees Fahrenheit, which is much hotter than what is considered safe for a beverage.\n
After the spill, Stella experienced third-degree burns on about 16% of her body, including her inner thighs and genital area.\n
$\"woman$
Stella spilled coffee on her lap while seated in her grandson\u2019s car.\u00a0\n
The burns were so severe that she had to undergo multiple skin graft surgeries.\n
She spent eight days in the hospital and lost nearly 20 pounds during her recovery.\n
The customer decided to sue McDonald\u2019s after severe damages from coffee spill\n
After the incident, Stella sought to settle the case with McDonald\u2019s for $20,000, which would cover her medical expenses.\n
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See also\u00a0\u00a0Viewers seek answers for object attached to the rear wheel of a car\n\n
However, McDonald\u2019s declined this offer.\n
Instead, they offered her a mere $800, which Stella found unacceptable given the severity of her injuries.\n
$\"woman$
Hot coffee spilled at 190\u00b0F caused severe burns and hospitalization.\u00a0\n
Woman awarded $2,7M from lawsuit against McDonald\u2019s after a coffee spill on a lap in carpark\n
Stella decided to take her case to court.\n
The trial began in 1994, and during the proceedings, it was revealed that McDonald\u2019s had received numerous complaints about their hot beverages.\n
In fact, there had been over 700 reports of burns caused by hot drinks served at the restaurant.\n
Stella\u2019s lawyer argued that McDonald\u2019s should have served the coffee at a lower temperature to prevent injuries.\n
The jury considered the evidence and ultimately awarded Stella $200,000 for compensatory damages, which was later reduced to $160,000.\n
Additionally, she was granted $2.7 million in punitive damages, although this amount was later cut down to $480,000.\n
$\"woman$
Stella sued McDonald\u2019s after they refused to settle for medical costs.\n
The case significantly changed consumer safety discussions.\n
The case received significant media attention and sparked discussions about fast-food safety.\n
Many people debated whether Stella had been responsible for her own injuries or if McDonald\u2019s should be held accountable for serving dangerously hot coffee.\n
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The case became a landmark example in discussions about personal injury lawsuits and corporate responsibility.\n
Woman\u2019s life after the lawsuit\n
Stella Liebeck passed away in August 2004 at the age of 91.\n
After the coffee incident, her family noted that the injuries and the ongoing legal battles took a toll on her quality of life.\n
Stella\u2019s daughter said the burns and court stress diminished her mother\u2019s quality of life in later years.\n
Though Stella is no longer alive, her case continues to be referenced in discussions about consumer rights and safety.\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A woman was awarded $2.7 million after spilling hot coffee on her lap in a McDonald\u2019s parking lot, leading to a lawsuit. In a famous case from 1992, Stella Liebeck … \n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6796"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6796\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6799,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6796\/revisions\/6799"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}