Every so often online you’ll hear about a woman who spilled McDonald’s coffee on her lap that sued McDonald’s. It’s touted as the prime example of a frivolous lawsuit, and McDonald’s have put in a lot of money to spin the case that way.
I'm sick of seeing that lie peddled by clickbait news sites and popular accounts trying to ridicule her with "Oh you didn't expect coffee to be hot?".
What actually happened should radicalise you.
In 1994, Stella Liebeck, who was 79 years old, spilled coffee on her lap while in the passengers seat of the car. The coffee was dangerously hot and caused third-degree burns over 16% of her body including her inner thighs and genitals.
*Warning - Very graphic images of the burns*
Image 1.
Image 2.
Stella originally tried to settle with McDonald's for the cost of her medical care - $20,000. They only offered her $800.
Throughout the case it was discovered that McDonald's were selling coffee between 30-40 degrees higher than other places. That change in temperature causes third-degree burns much faster, if it had been from somewhere else she would have had roughly 20 seconds to wipe away the coffee and avoid third-degree burns.
McDonald's were behind the smear campaign against her, so whenever you see anyone spread their misinformation, you can now correct them.
Reblogging because I’ve just seen someone doing McDonald’s PR for them *again*
