Main > Everything Else
i have a new understanding of the mcdonalds coffee case now
danny_galaga:
remember the lady who sued mcdonalds for spilling hot coffee in her lap? was looking at it on wikipedia, and i actually now totally sympathise with the complainant. which is good, because i always felt uncomfortable feeling sorry for mcdonalds...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restaurants
CCM:
defectively manufactured coffee?? Come on, it was a hot cup of coffee... I'm drinking a cup of coffee right now that was bought at a local coffee drive-thru that would probably cause some serious burns if I was clumsy enough to spill it on myself. And if I did, I would never even consider suing the coffee shop.
I smashed my thumb with a hammer once working on my mame machine, who should I sue for that?
shardian:
Yeah, while I feel sorry for the lady for having to get skin grafts and extended hospital stay (which I did not know before this link), it is still her fault for pouring the liquid on herself. My soldering iron doesn't have "EXTREMELY HOT!!! MAY BURN YOU!!!" plastered all over it, but it is common knowledge that it will hurt like hell if I touch it to my skin. I won't sue the maker of the soldering iron for it being hot where it is supposed to be.
This case is still the flag bearer for frivolous lawsuits - it just has more merit than the rest. McDonalds should have just paid the lady off for her original amount and been done with it.
ChadTower:
To be fair, a soldering iron isn't food, and it isn't handed to you through a drivethrough window while on.
I agree that a settlement should have been much much smaller. Handing out a food item that is so freakin hot it will give third degree burns is unsafe. I see her point but it's sure as hell nothing that should make a person a millionaire. There's no way she didn't notice how hot that thing was when she grabbed it.
shardian:
I go to Mexican restaurants and order fajita's. They serve it still cooking on a straight from the oven skillet. If I stupidly reach out and grab the skillet and fry my hand, I won't be suing the restaurant for putting a scalding skillet on my table. And if I had kids with me who might do the same, I would still consider it my fault for allowing a scalding skillet to be sat on my table in front of them. I believe in personal responsibility, and others should too.
Now, if the window worker slipped and dropped the cup of coffee on the ladies lap as she was handing it to her, then her case would have had my full support - though at that point it wouldn't have been a case because McD's would have settled in a heartbeat.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version