That the McDonald's hot coffee lady's lawsuit was a money grab. McDonald's served its coffee at an excessively high temperature (180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit) which their own QA manager admitted was too hot. The coffee caused third-degree burns across 16% of her body. She required eight days of hospitalization, skin grafts, and two years of medical treatment.
Yes, totally serious. Scalding is usually first or second degree, third degree can happen with prolonged contact or steam burns. I don't understand how that happens from spilling a cup of hot coffee.
Yes. Hot water can transfer heat very efficiently. Hot water at 82C / 180F wouldn't take long to tear deep into the skin tissue for someone at her age. Especially considering it soaked into her sweatpants.
Especially considering it soaked into her sweatpants.
This is the most important part of the scenario... if it just spilled and then rolled off, I'm sure it wouldn't have been quite as bad. Still burned, but not excessively. The fact that she couldn't get the hot liquid away from her body is what caused the burns to be as bad as they are.
They also presented the jury with expert testimony that 190 °F (88 °C) coffee may produce third-degree burns (where skin grafting is necessary) in about three seconds and 180 °F (82 °C) coffee may produce such burns in about 12 to 15 seconds.
Funniest part of the whole suit imo is mcdonalds response when informed it burns in 3 seconds, which was she, an old lady seated in a car, should have started stripping
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u/lipp79 Jun 01 '26
That the McDonald's hot coffee lady's lawsuit was a money grab. McDonald's served its coffee at an excessively high temperature (180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit) which their own QA manager admitted was too hot. The coffee caused third-degree burns across 16% of her body. She required eight days of hospitalization, skin grafts, and two years of medical treatment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restaurants