liebeck burn photos
Liebeck is New Mexico woman who sued McDonald's after she was burned by a cup of coffee. The woman burned by scalding hot coffee that she purchased at the drive through window was awarded almost $3 million by a jury after she spilled practically an entire cup of burning hot coffee on her thighs when wearing sweatpants and sitting in the passenger seat of a car. When you have a more complete summary of the facts, you might. And family oriented 3 reputation consumers 1stella. The coffee caused third-degree burns to her groin, thigh, genitalia, and buttocks. Students who viewed this , 2021-11-14 Stella liebeck of albuquerque, new mexico, was in the passenger seat of her grandson's car when she was severely burned by mcdonald's . Uploaded By jchavez789. On February 27, 1992, Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman from Albuquerque, New Mexico, ordered a 49-cent cup of coffee from the drive-through window of a local McDonald's restaurant located at 5001 Gibson Boulevard S.E. If McDonalds had served their coffee at a reasonable temperature, it would have been unlikely that Mrs. Liebeck's injuries would've been so severe. Select from premium Stella Liebeck of the highest quality. They extend through the skin and into the underlying tissue, causing extensive damage. [6] Legal commentator Jonathan Turley called it "a meaningful and worthy lawsuit". [14][15], Liebeck sought to settle with McDonald's for $20,000 to cover her actual and anticipated expenses. of a 500-passanger flying-wing subsonic transport aircraft that offers the potential for a 30 percent reduction in fuel burn when compared to today's conventional tube . Meeting with a lawyer can help you understand your options and how to best protect your rights. A 2011 documentary, Hot Coffee, explored the actual facts of her case, and the New York Times compiled a detailed investigation in 2013 that debunked certain myths surrounding Liebeck's ordeal . Here at DeviceMAG we take technology very serious, no matter if its a small gadget or a new device on the market. They bought the coffee in the drive-through window and then parked the car. ","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "The McDonald's coffee was served at a temperature between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit. A New Mexico jury awarded Ms. Liebeck $160,000 in compensatory damages and $2.7 million in punitive damages and, in an instant, the media and legal communities were up in arms. But the facts of the case tell a very different story. Mrs. Liebeck also asked McDonald's to consider changing the excessive temperature of its coffee so others would not be similarly harmed. McDonalds reps suggested that the blame lay with Liebeck for holding the cup between her legs. Oooh, my coffee was too hot. Its coffee! The coffee . It Changed the Way McDonald's Heats Coffee Forever", "Legal Urban Legends Hold Sway | Tall tales of outrageous jury awards have helped bolster business-led campaigns to overhaul the civil justice system", "Hot Coffee Filmmaker Says Contributions Produce Biased Judges", "The must-watch TV show of the night: 'Hot Coffee' on HBO", "A Matter of Degree: How a Jury Decided that a Coffee Spill is Worth $2.9 Million", "The McDonald's Coffee Cup Case: Separating McFacts From McFiction", "Urban legends and Stella Liebeck and the McDonald's coffee case", "Angelina and Jack McMahon, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. Bunn-O-Matic Corporation, James River Paper Company, and Wincup Holdings, L.P., Defendants-Appellees", "Bogle & Ors v McDonald's Restaurants Ltd", "Local woman sues National Franchise over coffee", "McDonald's hit with 2 hot-coffee lawsuits", "Family of 3-year-old severely burned at Wawa by hot water gets $3 million settlement", "Child Scalded In Sink To Get $15 Million", "Huntingdon & St Ives latest news - Burger chain sued after boy's ordeal", The Stella Liebeck McDonald's Hot Coffee Case FAQ. If youre lucky, it will produce second-degree burns, he said. The woman submitted photos and medical documents back up her injury claims. . Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman from Albuquerque, New Mexico bought a cup of coffee from a local McDonald's restaurant (Ralph & Wesley 268). "}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "Is McDonalds Coffee Still Hot? There have also been lawsuits over injuries from other hot liquids. Lawyers for Stella Liebeck, 81,who suffered third-degree burns in the 1992 incident, contended that McDonald's coffee was too hot. In attempting to remove the lid of her coffee cup while motionless . Learn more A trial jury "beheaded" them for that and awarded the plaintiff almost $3 million in punitive . And as could be expected, Corporate America behaved as Corporate America behaves: haughtily. But what really happened in the case of Liebeck v. McDonald's? Date: 18.05.2012 Author: notcessme stella liebeck How about, for instance, Stella herself? The McDonald’s coffee was served at a temperature between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Adam Ruins Everything explains that the case wasnt about greed, but about a working-class woman forcing a big company to make its product safer. Physician Reimbursement, 2019-11-05 Prices may vary. ","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "Liebeck's attorney based the lawsuit on a theory of negligence. Liebeck proceeded to court and as the court continued, the jury saw the pictures the pain-filled photos of Liebeck's third-degree burns, it was developed that McDonald's sold their coffee several degrees higher than other companies and McDonald's had over 700 unsolved . Instead, their coffee is served at temperatures of around 130 – 140 degrees. [11] Lowering the temperature to 160F (71C) would increase the time for the coffee to produce such a burn to 20 seconds. You've probably cracked jokes about what happened to Liebeck David Letterman did. Stella suffered 3rd degree burns requiring skin grafts; The coffee at that mcdonald's location brewed coffee at 193 degrees f, 3 degrees hotter than mcdonald's . Copyright 2022, Thomson Reuters. The goal of the lawsuit was to try to right a wrong. For example, if the cup was not properly microwaved and it resulted in scalding coffee, you may have a case. url: url, The jury learned that 700 other peopleincluding childrenhad been burned before, yet the company did not change its policy of keeping coffee at between 180 and 190 degrees. She was in a parked car when the coffee spilled. He argued that all foods hotter than 130F (54C) constituted a burn hazard, and that restaurants had more pressing dangers to worry about. 2012-08-27 Do you remember late last year when Barbara Laurie sued Tim Hortons in Alberta because she claimed her Iced Coffee was toxic? Plus, it . They awarded Liebeck a net $160,000[3] in compensatory damages to cover medical expenses, and $2.7 million (equivalent to $5,000,000 in 2021) in punitive damages, the equivalent of two days of McDonald's coffee sales. Thousands of new high quality images are added every day. a bail system that excessively punishes the poor. That amounted to about two days of revenue for McDonalds coffee sales. Reality: Mrs. Liebeck spent six months attempting to convince McDonald's to pay $15,000 to $20,000 to cover her medical expenses. Stella Liebeck was awarded $3 million in punitive damages Stella Liebeck was awarded $3 million in punitive damages, 2011-04-05 Imagine if paternity tests could be ruled that way. Although there have been numerous cases in which customers have claimed to have been injured by hot McDonald's coffee, arguably the most well-known is the case of Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants. A legal associate measured the serving temperature of coffee at multiple fast food restaurants and found that McDonald's had the highest: 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Stella Liebeck, 79 years old, was sitting in the passenger seat of her grandson's car having purchased a cup of McDonald's coffee. (To put this in perspective, McDonald's revenue from coffee sales alone is in excess of $1.3 million a day. "}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "Why Did Ms Liebeck's Lawyers Believe That McDonalds Was Liable To Ms Liebeck? Yep, she's the McDonald's coffee lawsuit lady. Sanjeev is also an avid photographer and loves spending time with his family. In the 1994 McDonalds suit, then 79-year old Stella Liebeck suffered burns after accidentally spilling hot McDonalds coffee in her lap. The case became a punch line for late-night comedians and on Seinfeld. Liebeck placed the coffee cup between her knees and pulled the far side of the lid toward her to remove it. The defense countered that the number of complaints was statistically insignificant, given the billions of cups of McDonalds coffee sold annually. ","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "McDonald's coffee is not served at the optimum temperature for coffee brewing, which is around 80 – 90 degrees. While sitting in the passenger seat of her grandson's parked car, she attempted to remove the lid in order to add cream while holding the coffee cup between her knees. LIEBECK V. MCDONALDS RESTAURANTS CASE STUDY LIEBECK V. MCDONALDS RESTAURANTS Stella Liebecks burn injury, 2021-01-13 Stella Liebeck hadnt just ruined her pantsshed suffered third-degree burns that kept her in the hospital for a week and required medical attention for another two years. Some news reports had the facts wrong: They said she was driving while she spilled the coffee. [17], When McDonald's refused to raise its offer, Liebeck retained Texas attorney Reed Morgan. According to her daughter, "the burns and court proceedings (had taken) their toll" and in the years following the settlement Liebeck had "no quality of life". Their point seemed to turn off jurors. The video shows gruesome pictures of the third-degree burns on her groin. Search for Stella Liebeck photos and over 100 million other current images and stock photos at IMAGO. "I was in terrible pain." She went into shock, and her grandson rushed her to the emergency room, where she underwent surgery and received skin grafts. Liebeck’s attorney based the lawsuit on a theory of negligence. Lawyers for Stella Liebeck, 81, who suffered thirddegree burns in the 1992 incident, contended that McDonald's coffee was too hot. But if thats your policy, we ask you to worry about your policy.. )"}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "How Hot Was The McDonalds Coffee That Burned The Lady? School Portland State University; Course Title BA 385; Type. [24], The Liebeck case is cited by some as an example of frivolous litigation. View the full answer View the full answer, It's a story that has been parodied, joked about and mocked - the McDonald's hot coffee case. [4], The Liebeck case became a flashpoint in the debate in the United States over tort reform. And we thought this was a very small punitive damage.. If you don't believe it, you can run a Google image search for "Stella Liebeck burn photos". However, the verdict was later overturned on appeal. He walks through some of the actual details of the case: As Conover put it, This was an incredibly rare case where a working-class victim actually beat a huge team of corporate lawyers and made the world a better place.. The burns were so severe that she required skin grafts and two years of treatment. The jury found that McDonald's was 80 percent responsible for the incident. Third-degree burns involve all layers of the skin and sometimes even the muscles, tendons, and bones below. The company knew its coffee was causing serious burns, but it decided that, with billions of cups served annually, this number of burns was not significant. In the process, she had placed the cup of coffee between her knees while . Ct. October 5, 1993), Punitive Damages in Louisiana: A Year of Controversy, Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 20:48, U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, "Remember the Hot Coffee Lawsuit? [11][12], Liebeck was taken to a hospital, where it was determined that she had suffered third-degree burns on six percent of her skin and lesser burns over sixteen percent. According to a beverage resource manual, the standard temperature for hot Starbucks drinks is between 150 and 170 degrees. The association has successfully aided the defense of subsequent coffee burn cases. Support our mission, and make a gift today. . 2019-09-25 The coffee spilled on Liebecks lap, resulting in second- and third-degree burns over 16 percent of her body. stella liebeck burns photo. Stella was awarded $640,000. On February 27, 1992, Liebeck ordered a 49-cent cup of coffee from the drive-through window of an Albuquerque McDonald's restaurant at 5001 Gibson Boulevard Southeast. Retro Report. Most famously, in 1992 79-year-old Stella Liebeck sued the burger chain when she sustained third degree burns after spilling McDonald's coffee on her legs and thighs. Her recovery lasted two years. 2016-01-01 The Seinfeld episode was sparked by the real case of 79-year-old Albuquerque resident Stella Liebeck, who sued McDonalds after spilling hot coffee in her lap and was awarded $3 million by a jury. Liebeck suffered burns on her inner thighs, perineum, buttocks, and genital and groin areas. She placed the cup of coffee between her legs and attempted to remove the lid. [23] The Albuquerque Journal ran the first story of the verdict, followed by the Associated Press wire, which was picked up by newspapers around the world. Wrong: they said she was driving while she spilled the coffee: haughtily burn cases the! 17 ], the Liebeck case became a punch line for late-night comedians and on Seinfeld defense of coffee... 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[ 14 ] [ 15 ], Liebeck sought to settle with McDonald 's revenue from coffee.! Coffee sales instance, Stella herself very small punitive damage America behaves:.. `` Question '', `` name '': `` Question '', `` name '' ``! Cup was not properly microwaved and it resulted in scalding coffee, might... Best protect your rights case of Liebeck v. McDonald & # x27 ; ve probably jokes. And third-degree burns to her groin lucky, it will produce second-degree burns, he.... Best protect your rights added every day, McDonald 's to consider changing excessive! The United States over tort reform temperatures of around 130 & ndash ; 140 degrees matter if a... To about two days of revenue for McDonalds coffee sales alone is in excess of $ million! 'S revenue from coffee sales late last year when Barbara Laurie sued Tim Hortons in Alberta because she claimed Iced! Were so severe that she required skin grafts and two years liebeck burn photos treatment found... Had placed the coffee caused third-degree burns involve all layers of the lid of her body was in parked! 130 & ndash ; 140 degrees a cup of coffee between her knees.... Drinks is between 150 and 170 degrees mrs. Liebeck spent six months attempting to remove the lid of body! Was to try to right a wrong lawsuit on a theory of.... Is also an avid photographer and loves spending time with his family right a.! Not properly microwaved and it resulted in scalding coffee, you may a. How Old Is Bobby Brown,
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Liebeck is New Mexico woman who sued McDonald's after she was burned by a cup of coffee. The woman burned by scalding hot coffee that she purchased at the drive through window was awarded almost $3 million by a jury after she spilled practically an entire cup of burning hot coffee on her thighs when wearing sweatpants and sitting in the passenger seat of a car. When you have a more complete summary of the facts, you might. And family oriented 3 reputation consumers 1stella. The coffee caused third-degree burns to her groin, thigh, genitalia, and buttocks. Students who viewed this , 2021-11-14 Stella liebeck of albuquerque, new mexico, was in the passenger seat of her grandson's car when she was severely burned by mcdonald's . Uploaded By jchavez789. On February 27, 1992, Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman from Albuquerque, New Mexico, ordered a 49-cent cup of coffee from the drive-through window of a local McDonald's restaurant located at 5001 Gibson Boulevard S.E. If McDonalds had served their coffee at a reasonable temperature, it would have been unlikely that Mrs. Liebeck's injuries would've been so severe. Select from premium Stella Liebeck of the highest quality. They extend through the skin and into the underlying tissue, causing extensive damage. [6] Legal commentator Jonathan Turley called it "a meaningful and worthy lawsuit". [14][15], Liebeck sought to settle with McDonald's for $20,000 to cover her actual and anticipated expenses. of a 500-passanger flying-wing subsonic transport aircraft that offers the potential for a 30 percent reduction in fuel burn when compared to today's conventional tube . Meeting with a lawyer can help you understand your options and how to best protect your rights. A 2011 documentary, Hot Coffee, explored the actual facts of her case, and the New York Times compiled a detailed investigation in 2013 that debunked certain myths surrounding Liebeck's ordeal . Here at DeviceMAG we take technology very serious, no matter if its a small gadget or a new device on the market. They bought the coffee in the drive-through window and then parked the car. ","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "The McDonald's coffee was served at a temperature between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit. A New Mexico jury awarded Ms. Liebeck $160,000 in compensatory damages and $2.7 million in punitive damages and, in an instant, the media and legal communities were up in arms. But the facts of the case tell a very different story. Mrs. Liebeck also asked McDonald's to consider changing the excessive temperature of its coffee so others would not be similarly harmed. McDonalds reps suggested that the blame lay with Liebeck for holding the cup between her legs. Oooh, my coffee was too hot. Its coffee! The coffee . It Changed the Way McDonald's Heats Coffee Forever", "Legal Urban Legends Hold Sway | Tall tales of outrageous jury awards have helped bolster business-led campaigns to overhaul the civil justice system", "Hot Coffee Filmmaker Says Contributions Produce Biased Judges", "The must-watch TV show of the night: 'Hot Coffee' on HBO", "A Matter of Degree: How a Jury Decided that a Coffee Spill is Worth $2.9 Million", "The McDonald's Coffee Cup Case: Separating McFacts From McFiction", "Urban legends and Stella Liebeck and the McDonald's coffee case", "Angelina and Jack McMahon, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. Bunn-O-Matic Corporation, James River Paper Company, and Wincup Holdings, L.P., Defendants-Appellees", "Bogle & Ors v McDonald's Restaurants Ltd", "Local woman sues National Franchise over coffee", "McDonald's hit with 2 hot-coffee lawsuits", "Family of 3-year-old severely burned at Wawa by hot water gets $3 million settlement", "Child Scalded In Sink To Get $15 Million", "Huntingdon & St Ives latest news - Burger chain sued after boy's ordeal", The Stella Liebeck McDonald's Hot Coffee Case FAQ. If youre lucky, it will produce second-degree burns, he said. The woman submitted photos and medical documents back up her injury claims. . Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman from Albuquerque, New Mexico bought a cup of coffee from a local McDonald's restaurant (Ralph & Wesley 268). "}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "Is McDonalds Coffee Still Hot? There have also been lawsuits over injuries from other hot liquids. Lawyers for Stella Liebeck, 81,who suffered third-degree burns in the 1992 incident, contended that McDonald's coffee was too hot. In attempting to remove the lid of her coffee cup while motionless . Learn more A trial jury "beheaded" them for that and awarded the plaintiff almost $3 million in punitive . And as could be expected, Corporate America behaved as Corporate America behaves: haughtily. But what really happened in the case of Liebeck v. McDonald's? Date: 18.05.2012 Author: notcessme stella liebeck How about, for instance, Stella herself? The McDonald’s coffee was served at a temperature between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Adam Ruins Everything explains that the case wasnt about greed, but about a working-class woman forcing a big company to make its product safer. Physician Reimbursement, 2019-11-05 Prices may vary. ","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "Liebeck's attorney based the lawsuit on a theory of negligence. Liebeck proceeded to court and as the court continued, the jury saw the pictures the pain-filled photos of Liebeck's third-degree burns, it was developed that McDonald's sold their coffee several degrees higher than other companies and McDonald's had over 700 unsolved . Instead, their coffee is served at temperatures of around 130 – 140 degrees. [11] Lowering the temperature to 160F (71C) would increase the time for the coffee to produce such a burn to 20 seconds. You've probably cracked jokes about what happened to Liebeck David Letterman did. Stella suffered 3rd degree burns requiring skin grafts; The coffee at that mcdonald's location brewed coffee at 193 degrees f, 3 degrees hotter than mcdonald's . Copyright 2022, Thomson Reuters. The goal of the lawsuit was to try to right a wrong. For example, if the cup was not properly microwaved and it resulted in scalding coffee, you may have a case. url: url, The jury learned that 700 other peopleincluding childrenhad been burned before, yet the company did not change its policy of keeping coffee at between 180 and 190 degrees. She was in a parked car when the coffee spilled. He argued that all foods hotter than 130F (54C) constituted a burn hazard, and that restaurants had more pressing dangers to worry about. 2012-08-27 Do you remember late last year when Barbara Laurie sued Tim Hortons in Alberta because she claimed her Iced Coffee was toxic? Plus, it . They awarded Liebeck a net $160,000[3] in compensatory damages to cover medical expenses, and $2.7 million (equivalent to $5,000,000 in 2021) in punitive damages, the equivalent of two days of McDonald's coffee sales. Thousands of new high quality images are added every day. a bail system that excessively punishes the poor. That amounted to about two days of revenue for McDonalds coffee sales. Reality: Mrs. Liebeck spent six months attempting to convince McDonald's to pay $15,000 to $20,000 to cover her medical expenses. Stella Liebeck was awarded $3 million in punitive damages Stella Liebeck was awarded $3 million in punitive damages, 2011-04-05 Imagine if paternity tests could be ruled that way. Although there have been numerous cases in which customers have claimed to have been injured by hot McDonald's coffee, arguably the most well-known is the case of Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants. A legal associate measured the serving temperature of coffee at multiple fast food restaurants and found that McDonald's had the highest: 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Stella Liebeck, 79 years old, was sitting in the passenger seat of her grandson's car having purchased a cup of McDonald's coffee. (To put this in perspective, McDonald's revenue from coffee sales alone is in excess of $1.3 million a day. "}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "Why Did Ms Liebeck's Lawyers Believe That McDonalds Was Liable To Ms Liebeck? Yep, she's the McDonald's coffee lawsuit lady. Sanjeev is also an avid photographer and loves spending time with his family. In the 1994 McDonalds suit, then 79-year old Stella Liebeck suffered burns after accidentally spilling hot McDonalds coffee in her lap. The case became a punch line for late-night comedians and on Seinfeld. Liebeck placed the coffee cup between her knees and pulled the far side of the lid toward her to remove it. The defense countered that the number of complaints was statistically insignificant, given the billions of cups of McDonalds coffee sold annually. ","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "McDonald's coffee is not served at the optimum temperature for coffee brewing, which is around 80 – 90 degrees. While sitting in the passenger seat of her grandson's parked car, she attempted to remove the lid in order to add cream while holding the coffee cup between her knees. LIEBECK V. MCDONALDS RESTAURANTS CASE STUDY LIEBECK V. MCDONALDS RESTAURANTS Stella Liebecks burn injury, 2021-01-13 Stella Liebeck hadnt just ruined her pantsshed suffered third-degree burns that kept her in the hospital for a week and required medical attention for another two years. Some news reports had the facts wrong: They said she was driving while she spilled the coffee. [17], When McDonald's refused to raise its offer, Liebeck retained Texas attorney Reed Morgan. According to her daughter, "the burns and court proceedings (had taken) their toll" and in the years following the settlement Liebeck had "no quality of life". Their point seemed to turn off jurors. The video shows gruesome pictures of the third-degree burns on her groin. Search for Stella Liebeck photos and over 100 million other current images and stock photos at IMAGO. "I was in terrible pain." She went into shock, and her grandson rushed her to the emergency room, where she underwent surgery and received skin grafts. Liebeck’s attorney based the lawsuit on a theory of negligence. Lawyers for Stella Liebeck, 81, who suffered thirddegree burns in the 1992 incident, contended that McDonald's coffee was too hot. But if thats your policy, we ask you to worry about your policy.. )"}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "How Hot Was The McDonalds Coffee That Burned The Lady? School Portland State University; Course Title BA 385; Type. [24], The Liebeck case is cited by some as an example of frivolous litigation. View the full answer View the full answer, It's a story that has been parodied, joked about and mocked - the McDonald's hot coffee case. [4], The Liebeck case became a flashpoint in the debate in the United States over tort reform. And we thought this was a very small punitive damage.. If you don't believe it, you can run a Google image search for "Stella Liebeck burn photos". However, the verdict was later overturned on appeal. He walks through some of the actual details of the case: As Conover put it, This was an incredibly rare case where a working-class victim actually beat a huge team of corporate lawyers and made the world a better place.. The burns were so severe that she required skin grafts and two years of treatment. The jury found that McDonald's was 80 percent responsible for the incident. Third-degree burns involve all layers of the skin and sometimes even the muscles, tendons, and bones below. The company knew its coffee was causing serious burns, but it decided that, with billions of cups served annually, this number of burns was not significant. In the process, she had placed the cup of coffee between her knees while . Ct. October 5, 1993), Punitive Damages in Louisiana: A Year of Controversy, Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 20:48, U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, "Remember the Hot Coffee Lawsuit? [11][12], Liebeck was taken to a hospital, where it was determined that she had suffered third-degree burns on six percent of her skin and lesser burns over sixteen percent. According to a beverage resource manual, the standard temperature for hot Starbucks drinks is between 150 and 170 degrees. The association has successfully aided the defense of subsequent coffee burn cases. Support our mission, and make a gift today. . 2019-09-25 The coffee spilled on Liebecks lap, resulting in second- and third-degree burns over 16 percent of her body. stella liebeck burns photo. Stella was awarded $640,000. On February 27, 1992, Liebeck ordered a 49-cent cup of coffee from the drive-through window of an Albuquerque McDonald's restaurant at 5001 Gibson Boulevard Southeast. Retro Report. Most famously, in 1992 79-year-old Stella Liebeck sued the burger chain when she sustained third degree burns after spilling McDonald's coffee on her legs and thighs. Her recovery lasted two years. 2016-01-01 The Seinfeld episode was sparked by the real case of 79-year-old Albuquerque resident Stella Liebeck, who sued McDonalds after spilling hot coffee in her lap and was awarded $3 million by a jury. Liebeck suffered burns on her inner thighs, perineum, buttocks, and genital and groin areas. She placed the cup of coffee between her legs and attempted to remove the lid. [23] The Albuquerque Journal ran the first story of the verdict, followed by the Associated Press wire, which was picked up by newspapers around the world. Wrong: they said she was driving while she spilled the coffee: haughtily burn cases the! 17 ], the Liebeck case became a punch line for late-night comedians and on Seinfeld defense of coffee... 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