jsouthJsouth
join:2000-12-12
Wichita, KS | reply to Lurkerer
Re: Idiots Your mistaken. It was the idiot who spilled Coffee on herself that won and a fat ma that sued McDonalds. Case was thrown out as I recall. |
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 flarnNo Logic Left
join:2001-02-10
North Richland Hills, TX | Stella Liebeck »www.stellaawards.com/stella.html
In 1992, Stella, then 79, spilled a cup of McDonald's coffee onto her lap, burning herself. A New Mexico jury awarded her $2.9 million in damages. That case inspired the Stella Awards for the most frivolous successful lawsuits in the United States.
that's who you are thinking of. She didn't actually get the 2.9 mil in the end, but she still got a lot of money for herself.
flarn
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1 DOD & 1 NS server || anti-logic |
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| In the case of Mcdonalds, they had been warned several time by previous injuries (McDonalds produced documents showing more than 700 claims by people burned by its coffee between 1982 and 1992),
»lawandhelp.com/q298-2.htm
I don't see the cable TV watcher having anything to base HIS lawsuit on. |
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kherrPremium
join:2000-09-04
Collinsville, IL | Isn't coffee supposed to be HOT !!! Duhhhhhhhhh |
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Re: Idiots said by jsouth:
Your mistaken. It was the idiot who spilled Coffee on herself that won and a fat ma that sued McDonalds. Case was thrown out as I recall.
And don't forget the one where a guy called a lady ugly, she sued and won. Can we say frivolous. |
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Re: Stella Liebeck Now you know why each and every thing you purchase from an automobile to a bag of cotton balls has warnings pasted on every square inch. "WARNING: THIS CAN OF PEANUTS WAS PROCESSED ON MACHINERY THAT PROCESSES PEANUTS OR PRODUCTS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT CONTAIN PEANUT OILS OR PEANUT BY-PRODUCTS"
Yes, coffee is supposed to be hot, and will burn you if spilled on you.
I'm relatively certain that in "Stella's" 79 odd years, this little factoid made it her way.
We live in an age of mindless garbage like this for one reason, common sense is dead and gone, replaced by the notion that anyone or anything else is to blame, and litigation is the most effective and lucritive way to prove it.
I'd go on but I need to make a claim against Al Gore for creating the internet, which eventually brought me to this site, where I read this story that made me this mad.
Wish me luck!
WARNING: THE PREVIOUS DIATRIBE SHOULD IN NO WAY BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, ESPECIALLY,BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE PART WHICH REFERS TO AN ALLEGED LAWSUIT AGAINST ANY PERSON OR PERSONS WHO ALLEGED TO CREATE THE INTERNET. TAKING ANY SLANDEROUS REMARKS MADE HERE TO ELDERLY OR INFIRM MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH. |
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| This is a perfect example of our society becoming one in which everyone is responsible EXCEPT the person involved. It's now our duty to protect all people from themselves, and if we fail to protect them from their own idiocy, we're liable.
Is it any wonder the courts are so backed up?
by the way, speaking of warning labels, how about the one one a blow dryer my wife bought: "do not use while sleeping"
wtf? Is this REALLY a concern? |
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 marigoldsGainfully employed, finallyPremium,MVM
join:2002-05-13
Saint Louis, MO
kudos:1 | reply to copperdoctor
Since people always have to go off about Stella Liebeck in these situations...
How many people expect to receive 3rd degree burns from a spilled cup of coffee? ("A burn involving destruction of the entire skin; deep third-degree burns extend into subcutaneous fat, muscle, or bone and often cause much scarring.")
How many people know that if you spill fresh McDonald's coffee on your pants, you need to take those pants off immediately to avoid said 3rd degree burns?
How would you feel if you were that person, and you found out that McDonald's had knowledge of this problem with their coffee and could have reduced the holding temperature to avoid this problem, but choose not to for financial reasons?
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| "How many people expect to receive 3rd degree burns from a spilled cup of coffee? "
No where on the Mcdonalds cups does it currently say "IF YOU SPILL THIS ON YOU YOU WILL RECEIVE 3RD DEGREE BURNS SO STRIP IMMEDIATLY!!!" They still just say CAUTION, HOT! Or something to the effect of "Hey dufuss, it's coffee, it's hot, don't spill it on you" Which of course is common sense WHICH proves my point, that common sense is gone. Perhaps Mcdonalds decided not to lower the temp of the coffee because they mistakenly thought that ALL adults took responsibility for thier own actions. The only way that will happen is when we start forcing people to. Heres an example; Want people to stop having accidents behind the wheel while talking on the cell-phone? Dont make laws that punish people for it. Simply take away the airbags and anti lock brakes, and replace them with a 4 inch steel spike in the center of the steering wheel. Trust me, the sounds of screeching tires crunching metal would be replaced by the clicking of seatbelts everywhere.
Keep the coffee hot, the fast food fatty, the broadcast and DSL "addictive" and dear god PLEASE keep dodge ball in schools. Natural selection will take care of the rest. |
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marigoldsGainfully employed, finallyPremium,MVM
join:2002-05-13
Saint Louis, MO
kudos:1 | said by copperdoctor:
No where on the Mcdonalds cups does it currently say "IF YOU SPILL THIS ON YOU YOU WILL RECEIVE 3RD DEGREE BURNS SO STRIP IMMEDIATLY!!!" They still just say CAUTION, HOT! Or something to the effect of "Hey dufuss, it's coffee, it's hot, don't spill it on you"
That would partly be because McDonald's lowered the holding temp of their coffee from 205 degree down to 185 degree in response to the lawsuit so that a similar incident (or rather a similar lawsuit) would not occur again.
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Yes but u have to realize to u said holding temp. for the coffee. How many people everyday get coffee straight from the pot at their home. who are they gonna sue there the electric company, the pot maker their wife husband kids,Ect. these people most of the time are not stupid or lack common sense. they are JUST PLAIN F---ING LAZY AND WANT SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. |
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marigoldsGainfully employed, finallyPremium,MVM
join:2002-05-13
Saint Louis, MO
kudos:1 | said by nctimaster:
Yes but u have to realize to u said holding temp. for the coffee. How many people everyday get coffee straight from the pot at their home.
Coffee brews at 205 deg. By the time you get it out of the pot it is significantly less than that unless you are drinking it as it drips out. McDonald's was holding their coffee at brewing temperature. Ends up tasting better, but also significantly more dangerous.
The woman in that case ended up in the hospital for 8 days with full thickness (through all the layers of skin) third-degree burns on her thighs, groin, and buttocks. She had to have multiple skin graft surgeries and had over $20,000 in medical bills. She did not sue until after McDonald's refused to pay a cent of her medical bills. Her final compensatory damages ended up at $160,000 ($200,00 with her found to be 25% at fault). Further, McDonald's was given triple punative damages totaling $480,000. McDonald's then settled out of court for an undisclosed sum rather than complete the appeals process.
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| Bottom line is this...the Mcdonald's coffee spilling story is referenced most often in these cases as an example of crazy lawsuits because on the surface it sounds as crazy as the rest. If I were related to or knew Stella, I would want her to win, too. But in this case(suing a cable company because your lazy,etc)the line is crossed. Is it a true story? I don't know. But thats the problem, It shouldnt be a true story, but we see this kind of garbage all the time now. If the story is a figment of someones imagination,then the lesson is that nothing surprises anyone anymore. That's a sad remark on our society. My personal pet peeve these days isn't so much the law suits, but "softening" of America's kids. Cutting out competetive sports because it ends in one child winning, and one losing. I wonder what these kids who never experience any kind of challenge will find when they graduate and apply for a job. Then again, maybe it's that kind of mentality that produces fat, lazy, law suit crazy people. We'll see. |
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