This movie looks interesting. (H/t Byron, McLean Law Office, PLLC).
Byron told me it was believed that "McDonald’s kept its coffee hotter than industry standards to keep people from drinking it with their meals, with the effect of dissuading people from taking advantage of free refills." In this case, the victim, Stella Liebeck, "suffered full thickness burns (or third-degree burns) over 6 percent of her body, including her inner thighs, perineum, buttocks, and genital and groin areas. She was hospitalized for eight days, during which time she underwent skin grafting. Liebeck, who also underwent debridement treatments, sought to settle her claim for $20,000, but McDonald’s refused." Liebeck also lost 20% of her body weight, which dropped to 83 lbs, and she required two more years of medical treatment. (Wikipedia)
That’s a pretty extensive injury and rather surprising McDonalds wouldn’t settle for $20,000. The counteroffer–$500. – Ilene
Hot Coffee
By Susan Saladoff
U.S. Documentary Competition, Sundance Film Festival 2011
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Run time: 88 min. | U.S.A. | color
For many Americans, the famous McDonald’s coffee case has become emblematic of the frivolous lawsuits that clog our courts and stall our justice system. Or is that exactly what McDonald’s wants us to think? Enter intrepid filmmaker Susan Saladoff. Using the now-infamous legal battle over a spilled cup of coffee as a springboard into investigating our civil-justice system, Saladoff exposes the way corporations have spent millions distorting this case to promote tort reform. Big business has brewed an insidious concoction of manipulation and lies to protect its interests, and media lapdogs have stirred the cup.
Following four people whose lives have been devastated by their inability to access the courts, this searing documentary unearths the sad truth that most of our beliefs about the civil-justice system have been shaped or bought by corporate America. Informative, entertaining, and a stirring call to action, Hot Coffee will make your blood boil. Film Contact
Susan Saladoff |
