The McDonalds Hot Coffee Lawsuit Was Not Frivolous

Everyone knows the McDonalds hot coffee lawsuit. A woman spills coffee, sues for millions, becomes the poster child for frivolous litigation. Late night hosts mocked her. Politicians used her as proof the legal system was broken.

Almost none of that is true.

On February 27, 1992, 79-year-old Stella Liebeck was in the passenger seat of her grandson's parked car. She placed the cup between her knees to add cream and sugar. The lid came off. The coffee soaked into her sweatpants.

The coffee was 190 degrees Fahrenheit. At that temperature, liquid causes third-degree burns in approximately 3 seconds. Liebeck suffered burns to her groin, inner thighs, and buttocks. She spent eight days in the hospital. She needed skin grafts. She required two years of follow-up medical treatment.

Her medical bills came to about $10,500. She asked McDonalds for $20,000 to cover expenses plus her daughter's lost wages from caring for her during recovery. McDonalds offered $800.

So she sued.

In discovery, it came out that McDonalds had received more than 700 reports of coffee burns over the previous decade. They had already paid out over $500,000 in settlements. Internal documents showed they knew 190 degrees was dangerous but kept the temperature high because it extended the time coffee could sit before being discarded.

The jury awarded $200,000 in compensatory damages (reduced to $160,000 because Liebeck was found 20% at fault) plus $2.7 million in punitive damages - two days worth of McDonalds coffee revenue. The judge then cut the punitive damages to $480,000. The case ultimately settled for a confidential amount reported to be under $500,000.

Liebeck never wanted millions. She wanted her medical bills paid. When McDonalds offered $800 for injuries that required skin grafts, she had no other option.

The case became the centerpiece of a well-funded corporate tort reform campaign that spent millions turning it into a punchline. It worked. Thirty years later, most people still think the lawsuit was a joke.

It was not.