{"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":"<div class='\"entry-meta' category-meta>\n<div class='\"entry-content\"' data-word-count='\"904\"' data-p-count='\"26\"'>\n<p><strong>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<p>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</p><p>Stella accidentally spilled coffee on her lap while in a car driven by her grandson in a parking lot.\n</p><p>The coffee was extremely hot, and the burns were severe, leading to a lengthy\u00a0legal battle.\n<figure class='\"wp-caption' aligncenter><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"lazy' loaded src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/photo.wikiany.net%5C/uploads%5C/photos%5C/2025%5C/01%5C/14%5C/woman-awarded-27m-from-lawsuit-against-mcdonalds-after-coffee-spill-on-l__u30__0-89911700_1736838008.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"woman' awarded from lawsuit against mcdonalds after coffee spill on l width='\"778\"' data-src='\"https:\/\/photo.wikiany.net\/uploads\/photos\/2025\/01\/14\/woman-awarded-27m-from-lawsuit-against-mcdonalds-after-coffee-spill-on-l__u30__0-89911700_1736838008.jpg\"' data-was-processed='\"true\"'><figcaption class='\"wp-caption-text\"'>The 1992 case involved Stella\u2019s severe burns from hot McDonald\u2019s coffee.\u00a0\n<div id='\"ez-toc-container\"' class='\"ez-toc-v2_0_71' counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction>\n<div class='\"ez-toc-title-container\"' data-word-count='\"5\"'>\n<p class='\"ez-toc-title\"'>Table of Contents\n\n<nav>\n<ul class='\"ez-toc-list' ez-toc-list-level-1>\n<li class='\"ez-toc-page-1' ez-toc-heading-level-2>The woman spills McDonald\u2019s coffee on her lap in carpark\n</li><li class='\"ez-toc-page-1' ez-toc-heading-level-2>The customer decided to sue McDonald\u2019s after severe damages from coffee spill\n</li><li class='\"ez-toc-page-1' ez-toc-heading-level-2>Woman awarded $2,7M from lawsuit against McDonald\u2019s after a coffee spill on a lap in carpark\n</li><li class='\"ez-toc-page-1' ez-toc-heading-level-2>The case significantly changed consumer safety discussions.\n</li><li class='\"ez-toc-page-1' ez-toc-heading-level-2>Woman\u2019s life after the lawsuit\n\n\n\n<h2><span id='\"The_woman_spills_McDonalds_coffee_on_her_lap_in_carpark\"' class='\"ez-toc-section\"'>The woman spills McDonald\u2019s coffee on her lap in carpark\n<p>The accident happened when Stella was trying to add cream and sugar to her coffee while seated in the car.\n</p><p>As she attempted to take the lid off, the cup tipped over, spilling the scalding liquid on her.\n</p><p>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</p><p>After the spill, Stella experienced third-degree burns on about 16% of her body, including her inner thighs and genital area.\n<figure class='\"wp-caption' aligncenter><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"lazy' loaded src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/photo.wikiany.net%5C/uploads%5C/photos%5C/2025%5C/01%5C/14%5C/woman-awarded-27m-from-lawsuit-against-mcdonalds-after-coffee-spill-on-l__u30__0-51904200_1736838008.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"woman' awarded from lawsuit against mcdonalds after coffee spill on l width='\"772\"' data-src='\"https:\/\/photo.wikiany.net\/uploads\/photos\/2025\/01\/14\/woman-awarded-27m-from-lawsuit-against-mcdonalds-after-coffee-spill-on-l__u30__0-51904200_1736838008.jpg\"' data-was-processed='\"true\"'><figcaption class='\"wp-caption-text\"'>Stella spilled coffee on her lap while seated in her grandson\u2019s car.\u00a0\n<p>The burns were so severe that she had to undergo multiple skin graft surgeries.\n</p><p>She spent eight days in the hospital and lost nearly 20 pounds during her recovery.\n</p><h2><span id='\"The_customer_decided_to_sue_McDonalds_after_severe_damages_from_coffee_spill\"' class='\"ez-toc-section\"'>The customer decided to sue McDonald\u2019s after severe damages from coffee spill\n<p>After the incident, Stella sought to settle the case with McDonald\u2019s for $20,000, which would cover her medical expenses.\n</p><div>\n<div><span class='\"ctaText\"'>See also\u00a0\u00a0<span class='\"postTitle\"'>Viewers seek answers for object attached to the rear wheel of a car\n\n<p>However, McDonald\u2019s declined this offer.\n</p><p>Instead, they offered her a mere $800, which Stella found unacceptable given the severity of her injuries.\n<figure class='\"wp-caption' aligncenter><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"lazy' loaded src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/photo.wikiany.net%5C/uploads%5C/photos%5C/2025%5C/01%5C/14%5C/woman-awarded-27m-from-lawsuit-against-mcdonalds-after-coffee-spill-on-l__u30__0-14499500_1736838008.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"woman' awarded from lawsuit against mcdonalds after coffee spill on l width='\"707\"' data-src='\"https:\/\/photo.wikiany.net\/uploads\/photos\/2025\/01\/14\/woman-awarded-27m-from-lawsuit-against-mcdonalds-after-coffee-spill-on-l__u30__0-14499500_1736838008.jpg\"' data-was-processed='\"true\"'><figcaption class='\"wp-caption-text\"'>Hot coffee spilled at 190\u00b0F caused severe burns and hospitalization.\u00a0\n<h2><span id='\"Woman_awarded_27M_from_lawsuit_against_McDonalds_after_a_coffee_spill_on_a_lap_in_carpark\"' class='\"ez-toc-section\"'>Woman awarded $2,7M from lawsuit against McDonald\u2019s after a coffee spill on a lap in carpark\n<p>Stella decided to take her case to court.\n</p><p>The trial began in 1994, and during the proceedings, it was revealed that McDonald\u2019s had received numerous complaints about their hot beverages.\n</p><p>In fact, there had been over 700 reports of burns caused by hot drinks served at the restaurant.\n</p><p>Stella\u2019s lawyer argued that McDonald\u2019s should have served the coffee at a lower temperature to prevent injuries.\n</p><p>The jury considered the evidence and ultimately awarded Stella $200,000 for compensatory damages, which was later reduced to $160,000.\n</p><p>Additionally, she was granted $2.7 million in punitive damages, although this amount was later cut down to $480,000.\n<figure class='\"wp-caption' aligncenter><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"lazy' loaded src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/photo.wikiany.net%5C/uploads%5C/photos%5C/2025%5C/01%5C/14%5C/woman-awarded-27m-from-lawsuit-against-mcdonalds-after-coffee-spill-on-l__u30__0-80963800_1736838007.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"woman' awarded from lawsuit against mcdonalds after coffee spill on l width='\"768\"' data-src='\"https:\/\/photo.wikiany.net\/uploads\/photos\/2025\/01\/14\/woman-awarded-27m-from-lawsuit-against-mcdonalds-after-coffee-spill-on-l__u30__0-80963800_1736838007.jpg\"' data-was-processed='\"true\"'><figcaption class='\"wp-caption-text\"'>Stella sued McDonald\u2019s after they refused to settle for medical costs.\n<h2><span id='\"The_case_significantly_changed_consumer_safety_discussions\"' class='\"ez-toc-section\"'>The case significantly changed consumer safety discussions.\n<p>The case received significant media attention and sparked discussions about fast-food safety.\n</p><p>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</p><div class='\"google-auto-placed' ap_container>\n<p>&nbsp;\n</p><div id='\"aswift_3_host\"'>\n<p>&nbsp;\n\n</p><p>The case became a landmark example in discussions about personal injury lawsuits and corporate responsibility.\n</p><h2><span id='\"Womans_life_after_the_lawsuit\"' class='\"ez-toc-section\"'>Woman\u2019s life after the lawsuit\n<p>Stella Liebeck passed away in August 2004 at the age of 91.\n</p><p>After the coffee incident, her family noted that the injuries and the ongoing legal battles took a toll on her quality of life.\n</p><p>Stella\u2019s daughter said the burns and court stress diminished her mother\u2019s quality of life in later years.\n</p><p>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":"</p><p>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 was awarded $2.7 million after suffering serious burns from hot coffee purchased at\u00a0McDonald\u2019s. Stella accidentally spilled coffee on her lap while in a car driven [&hellip;]\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}]}}</p></span></h2></div></div></span></h2></figcaption></figure></p></span></h2></figcaption></figure></p></span></span></div></div></span></h2></figcaption></figure></p></span></h2></li></ul></nav></p></div></div></figcaption></figure></p></strong></p></div></div>