Susan Saladoff new documentary feature film “Hot Coffee” is a passionate work detailing the famous McDonald’s case of Stella Liebeck. Stella Liebeck sued McDonald’s after she was severely burned by a cup of the fast food chain’s hot coffee. As Public Citizen points out “Liebeck, who was 79 at the time of the accident, became the butt of jokes as her case became a cause célèbre as exhibit #1 of a justice system overrun with frivolous lawsuits.”
Misguided Scrutiny
Incredibly, McDonald’s was characterized as the victim in this case. How bad was the scrutiny and pressure Stella endured for bringing her suit against McDonald’s? Saladof’s introduction best describes the scrutiny and questions that were eventually answered:
“Seinfeld mocked it. Letterman ranked it in his top ten list. And more than fifteen years later, its infamy continues. Everyone knows the McDonald’s coffee case. It has been routinely cited as an example of how citizens have taken advantage of America’s legal system, but is that a fair rendition of the facts? Hot Coffee reveals what really happened to Stella Liebeck, the Albuquerque woman who spilled coffee on herself and sued McDonald’s, while exploring how and why the case garnered so much media attention, who funded the effort and to what end. After seeing this documentary film, you will decide who really profited from spilling hot coffee.”
What Would You Do?
What do you think of this case? How would you handle this situation as either the victim or the plaintiff’s attorney? Finally how important is this case in the history of plaintiff cases in the United States?
To learn more about J. Gary Gwilliam's book Getting A Winning Verdict In My Personal Life: A Trial Lawyer Finds His Soul , please