This is actually a very famous case that every law student learns about. Though it was easy to mock initially it wasn't well known that she required multiple skin graft plastic surgeries due to the severity of the burns. This is the absolute opposite of a frivolous lawsuit.
total bullshit it was just a blister, plastic surgeons are subhumans they are not doctors. They did this because shes old and they can fleece as much money out of her with unneed medical treatment. This is a very common tactic in America. Dentists(especially with children) and gynecologists that deal with welfare/etc insurance are literally more evil than hitler. Yanking out a dozen childrens teeth for no reason without anesthetic or doing far far worse there is a reason why children are scared of them more so in the past then now its due to subhuman monsters dozens of cases of people beating and choking children instead of medicated them. Faking tests to perform very late term illegal abortions or taking bribs. Using unsterile medical supplies that within a week a woman will need to get surgery removing overies/etc or a child going septic from a massive infection also needing surgery. Massive insurance fraud lying out the ass being immoral evil moneters taking advantage of the poor. LEAVING FETUS IN BAGS FOR DAYS SO IT SMELLS IN THE WAITING ROOM HUNDREDS OF FEET AWAY. Hundreds of buinesses in America doing this for decades the stories you can read make nazi medical researchers look like saints. Especially abortion clinics oh my fuck man the amount of women that have lost the right to have children period or worse due to subhumans doctors and threatening poor people and the nurses that work for them. This one guy the babies would be crying and he'd bash their head in he did this dozens of times. Telling the women oh no its just the medication dear its trama putting the baby in bag and just tossing it to the side/garbage can. And no I am not some christcuck against aborition I'm against monsters who for decades took advantage of the poor legit murdering children for fun. One subhuman who was charged with over 9000 counts of murder. kept babies, fetus and pieces of them in jars, he said it was because he enjoyed keeping these goy fetus as trophies. Been reading so much into insurance fraud/unneed medical criminal treatment/etc before everything became digital with networks. Surgeions murdering people and not getting their liences removed when their rep is too bad they just go to another hospital opr state. Ruining lives nonstop for a bit of profit complete nazi butchers. With no repercussions maybe the hospital has pay out a tiny lawsuit. Its fucking insane it still happens all the time. /longass rant
But the corporate media lied to us and made it like she was the villain. Fuckers. There need to be consequences for this kind of despicable behavior. When you have a megabillion dollar company on one side and an ordinary American on the other, we all know who to side with, right? Our own side. Not the wealthy.
But it still is because she inflicted the burns on herself with her handling of the coffee and, as someone that's spilled boiling water on myself before without such injuries, her clothing choice definitely played a much larger role than the temperature of the coffee. If you suffer serious injury doing something stupid, that does not grant you the right to have other people pay you a six figure sum.
@@RaynmanPlays If you boil water you know how hot it is. McDonald’s knew they were keeping the coffee at an unsafe temperature for consumers. They were held liable for their mistake.
@@SinisterMD I like how you stopped reading immediately after I mentioned spilling boiling water on myself. Just boom. Instant. Not even a word after that.
@@DavidKen878McDonalds did. They manipulated the information the public got and many people believed that the poor lady was just a greedy person looking for quick cash. Some people still believe that to this day even.
@@Amity-park That wasn't McDonalds fault. That was the late night talk show hosts and people spreading misinformation that did that. McDonald's never came out and said that poor woman was faking it or that she was just trying to get rich.
I remember first learning what really happened on Adam Ruins Everything. The fact that these tools dragged an old lady’s name through the mud is disgusting.
You know that narrative is itself just propaganda right? There is no reasonable expectation that coffee will be served at a temperature safe for your cooter.
@@mbox314 what's worse is that everyone bought into the anti-corporation bullshit narrative, and believe that she shouldn't have been responsible enough to not put hot coffee in her crotch.
I feel like even if it's 100% not your fault, if someone gets a gnarly injury in your business you should pay their medical bills. It's chump change for a chain like mcdo, and advertising to boot.
na hshe was just old. but today still people say "that woman that sued mcd cause of hot coffee" without context, why videos like that are important @@12thMandalorian
lets say this way: other places sold coffee at 160 degrees which takes around 20 seconds to cause 3rd degree burns. mcdonalds coffee at the time took 3 seconds to cause same... still think it was just a little hot coffee? @@Meton2526
I watched this poor woman’s documentary years ago, this is why the coffee tastes so burnt and bad. This woman should have gotten her whole settlement of 2.7 million,she deserved every penny of it.
After learning about what really happened, I simply felt sorry for Stella. I'm not sure who disgusts me more McDonald's for forcing her to sue them? Or the media for making her out to be the bad guy?
@@shadow6543 Yup. I'll bet McDs paid off the media. This is one of the reasons that the Internet, despite its faults, is also awesome: The truth can get through there easier than in the traditional media.
@@monkeygraborange Stella Liebeck was 79 at the time of the incident, She suffered third degree burns in her pelvic regions and had to get a skin graft. Given her age and the damage of the burns, there's no doubt in my mind she almost died.
its a shame mcdonalds with its corporate might was able to sway public opinion and besmirch Stella Liebeck. even to this day most ppl do not understand what truly happened, only remember lady spilled coffee and sued.
You realize that the anti-mcdonalds position is itself just propaganda sway right? There is never a reasonable expectation that holding HOT COFFEE in your crotch is a safe thing to do. She chose the negligent action. It is FAR more popular a belief that McDonalds was wrong and she was right, and that's the fraudulent position dominated by propaganda. The real position that she was a dumb fucking cunt who put hot coffee right up on her cooter has been lost to the fake "Little person vs big corporation" story.
I was only a teen back then, but even when media was mocking her and late night talk show hosts ridiculed her, I felt bad for her. I did not once think she was in it for the money. As the truth started to come out more over the years, I realized that she really didn't deserve all that negative press.
She mocked because of how the whole thing played out. Basically, she sued because the coffee was too hot. If you listen to the testimonies, it basically comes down to that she was unable to hold the cup of coffee that she spilled on herself. She was the one who took off the cap, she was the one who placed the hot coffee in-between her lap while sitting on an uneven car seat. Yeah, McDonald's makes their coffee too hot, but it seems to be common knowledge back then based on the testimonies. Nowhere in her testimonies did she say that McDonald's caused her to spill her coffee. She then spent a 20,000.00 settlement to McDonald's before she sued. It is about 487,342.86 in today's dollar if add inflation rate. Would you pay someone who made a claim and spent a settlement for 487,342.86 out of the blue? Plus she and her son were the ONLY witnesses and what we know is based on what they said. We will never know what really happened. There is no one to collaborate on their story. They interviewed the jury back then and the only reason they supported the lady was because they didn't like how McDonald handled the situation.
McDonalds had the news media companies in their control. They were one of their biggest advertisers, and they made the fake news media companies report it that way on purpose. The fake news didn't ridicule it because they wanted to, they were forced to.
Thank you for covering this lawsuit. I remember hearing about this at the time and as a kid, i even thought it was stupid reason to sue McDonalds. Interesting to hear the full details.
@@melissacooper8724is that a point for, or against her? If anything, she was the first one willing enough to do anything to get those clowns to listen to her, which is pretty admirable. Now everyone has her to thank for, at least, a little cooler and safer gross coffee.
There’s an excellent documentary on this called “hot coffee” (2011) I strongly recommend. That poor woman, this lawsuit had massive implications for this kind of liability for companies and they brainwash people by saying everything is 100% the fault of the consumer
I have fond memories of going to McDonald's as a wee kid in the late 80s with my dad. I'd get a happy meal and he'd get a cup of coffee. I remember him saying he liked it hot because it took more time to drink. Nowadays, I'm not big on McDonald’s (except their iced coffee, yummy) but they are forever part of my childhood.
@@gondoravalon7540 perhaps you should oh I don't know look at the video, it clearly says that all coffees are served and that temperature OR you can look up the information for yourself. Oh and yes, I work for a personal inquiry attorney and I see people trying to sue for the most ridiculous things just to make a quick buck....so yes, greed IS a big factor.
There is no reasonable expectation that hot coffee is going to be served at a temperature safe for throwing it onto your cooter. She was a dumb bitch for doing that, and her burns were entirely her fault.
Obviously she had made coffee for herself at home and was a regular coffee drinker so one has to ask, did she ever stick her hand in a fresh pot of coffee she made to see if it would burn her hand? Of course not because any dimwit knows that in order to make coffee in a Mr. Coffee pot at home, the water in it BOILS. Water boils at 212°F and everybody knows it's hot enough to burn human skin. Personal responsibility is just that. Coffee is hot and knives are sharp, kids. You cut yourself with a knife, that's your fault. You spill hot coffee on your self, that's your fault. "It's not my fault I spilled hot coffee on myself!" Oh really? Who spilled the coffee on you? Well, I did... 😐
There are a lot of contributing factors though, these days, the "coffee cups" are a lot more sturdy and heat resistant, they have sleeves making them easier/tolerable to hold which didn't exist back then. Also the sad fact that her attire made things even worse by quick absorption, just a bad, bad situation...poor lady.
While I do sympathize she should not have put the freaking coffee between her freaking legs in the first place!!!!! I do applaud her for admitting that also
While driving cross country in a moving van and being without sleep, I stopped for coffee when I needed some. McDonalds coffee was consistently so hot, I stopped going there. Plus it tasted nasty. There is no need to sell coffee that hot.
I remember when this happened...I read about it in newspaper when I was a child and saw briefing about it on the nightly news up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. I was rooting for Stella!
I worked at BK at this time, and afterwards, we had to put coffee in a bag(for single cups)or one of those paper drink carriers(for multiples)before handing it out in the drive-thru. And after all these years, I still sometimes hear “Well, she STILL should have known that coffee is hot.”
I've been arguing with people about this for years. I mean, are frivolous lawsuits a problem? Absolutely. But, this isn't one of them. My family was once staying at a very nice, family-owned ranch/hotel in Vermont, and at dinner my young daughter ordered a hot chocolate. The waitress placed it right in front of her and I immediately tried to grab it. I was too late, and my kid pulled the cup toward her, spilling the contents, and sending her to the hospital with 2nd degree burns. (after the initial commotion, I saw the waitress standing in a corner crying her eyes out) The hotel sent an employee with us to the hospital, and said, "any cost to you is taken care of, your stay is free, and we will immediately retrain our staff so that this doesn't happen again." They even kept in touch with us in the months that followed as my daughter healed and paid for any after-care. The point being...It was an awful accident (with, thankfully no scarring). They took full responsibility, and changed the way that they served hot beverages. We didn't sue, even though we could have, because the change happened, and honestly, I still take some blame...Could I have reacted quicker? Should I have been paying more attention as the waitress approached? Lessons learned, end of story. (edited for typos)
You forgot to mention, she also tried to sue the car manufacturer of the car her grandson was driving for not having cup holders and that law suit got thrown out of court.
@@nohandle62first they weren't driving, they had parked. Second, she admitted she mishandled the cup, but the coffee was too hot. That's what won her the lawsuit, the coffee was dangerously hot.
Truth be told, even staying in the dining room that coffee can burn badly. I have gotten intense burns in my mouth and throat drinking scalding hot coffee right in the restaurant. In other words they just keep the coffee too hot no matter the circumstances 😮
Look at subway's controversies... they have jared, some people will claim that yoga matt is used in its bread, and its bread is sweet enough to be a confectionary technically
their coffee is still way too hot; it is painful to hold the cup even if they add cream to it. you need to wait at least half an hour until it's cooled enough to drink. I often get breakfast sandwiches at McDonald's but I'll go to another store for coffee.
Depends on how the franchise pays attention to the small details. I remember as a kid getting a nice cup of hot chocolate at Winchell's Donuts and burning my tongue often times just drinking it right away and not waiting because it would come directly from their boiling machines! Haha!
After all that, every coffee company is still serving coffee way too hot? Justice barely exists in the US, what the hell. Corporations have more power than govt.
Didnt mention the fall back- how much this woman was ridiculed and tormented- or how then companies lobbied to prevent anyone from suing companies afterwards- “Adam Ruins Everything” explains this a lot better
The problem with this is that US based McDonalds don't serve beer, as in other countries. Had she ordered beer instead of coffee and spilled it on herself, she would not have been physically injured. US McDonalds should have been ordered to serve beer in their drive thrus. That is the travesty.
While I don't dismiss the idea that the coffee was far hotter than it should have been, common sense tells most of us not to allow a hot liquid anywhere near that area.
This is a perfect example of how the rest of the world laughs their asses off, at the US, when ridiculous lawsuits like this can even get inside a courtroom. Sure, poor lady, she didn't deserve to get burnt, but that can never ever be McD's fault.
This the perfect example to show that the rest of the world has as much if even more retards than the US when this ☝️ is their point of view on the situation.
lets say this way: other places sold coffee at 160 degrees which takes around 20 seconds to cause 3rd degree burns. mcdonalds coffee at the time took 3 seconds to cause same... still think it wasn't mcdonalds fault?
@@nevermind5657 Uhm no. According to the American Burn Association, in fact burning happens within 1 second at already 155°F. For burning at +15 seconds, water would have to be less than 130°F. For actual 3rd degree burns water would have to be almost boiling and skin would have to be exposed to this for prolonged periods of time, which may have been what happened in this case. But all this is besides the point. Coffee is hot and should be treated as such. Regular home coffee machines can easily make coffee at 200°F, espresso machines and 160°F. Will you blame manufacturers of those too? So in conclusion: water is wet, the sun is bright and coffee is hot. Why these things can come as a surprise to silly Americans, is quite perplexing.
@@blcjck8121 *Coffee is hot* Actually, this statement is why that info about third degree burns is NOT "besides the point," since "hot" is a spectrum, a range of temperatures.
I feel so bad for this poor lady, I didn't know she had to get skin grafts done...ouch. That said, and the fact still remains that not only McD's but mostly all coffees served to the public is pretty much this same temperature, I know the cups are much stronger/heat resistant these days so that might be a factor ALSO a major factor is her attire that played a role by making the injury much worse by absorbing the hot liquid faster...just a really bad situation all around.
lets say this way: other places sold coffee at 160 degrees which takes around 20 seconds to cause 3rd degree burns. mcdonalds coffee at the time took 3 seconds to cause same... still think it was just a little hot coffee?
So this old lady telling us no matter what if I make my coffee and spill on my thighs and get a third degree burn, I can sue myself for 20k. Great job lady😂
lets say this way: other places sold coffee at 160 degrees which takes around 20 seconds to cause 3rd degree burns. mcdonalds coffee at the time took 3 seconds to cause same... still think it was just a little hot coffee?
I had a friend spill a cup on my lap in the early 90's, and man, I wish I'd gone to a lawyer... I still have my 'Freddy Krueger' patch on my thigh. The guy who knocked it over didn't even buy me a new one.
1:13 That reminds me of the music video Hot Air Balloon Song - The Study Group (Community) on UA-cam. It is from the tv series Community and features Sara Bareilles.
Stuff like this is why you cannot trust big companies and media. I feel awful for that woman for being clowned on so relentlessly despite having a very understandable case. She was done dirty by brainless cogs in the machine. I mean really, what on Earth did anyone gain by supporting McDonald's in this case? Who were they helping by mocking this woman? I don't know if this is typical corporate obsession or general misogyny, but either way nobody had any right to make fun of her. There are genuinely useless cases out there, but when it comes to *literal 3rd degree burns* and food safety, I think it's worth hearing out the other party.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #1 НАЧАЛО ПУТЕШЕСТВИЯ [Новый сезон] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/380Q7gLWGvk/mqdefault.jpg)
This is actually a very famous case that every law student learns about. Though it was easy to mock initially it wasn't well known that she required multiple skin graft plastic surgeries due to the severity of the burns. This is the absolute opposite of a frivolous lawsuit.
total bullshit it was just a blister, plastic surgeons are subhumans they are not doctors. They did this because shes old and they can fleece as much money out of her with unneed medical treatment. This is a very common tactic in America. Dentists(especially with children) and gynecologists that deal with welfare/etc insurance are literally more evil than hitler. Yanking out a dozen childrens teeth for no reason without anesthetic or doing far far worse there is a reason why children are scared of them more so in the past then now its due to subhuman monsters dozens of cases of people beating and choking children instead of medicated them. Faking tests to perform very late term illegal abortions or taking bribs. Using unsterile medical supplies that within a week a woman will need to get surgery removing overies/etc or a child going septic from a massive infection also needing surgery. Massive insurance fraud lying out the ass being immoral evil moneters taking advantage of the poor. LEAVING FETUS IN BAGS FOR DAYS SO IT SMELLS IN THE WAITING ROOM HUNDREDS OF FEET AWAY. Hundreds of buinesses in America doing this for decades the stories you can read make nazi medical researchers look like saints. Especially abortion clinics oh my fuck man the amount of women that have lost the right to have children period or worse due to subhumans doctors and threatening poor people and the nurses that work for them. This one guy the babies would be crying and he'd bash their head in he did this dozens of times. Telling the women oh no its just the medication dear its trama putting the baby in bag and just tossing it to the side/garbage can. And no I am not some christcuck against aborition I'm against monsters who for decades took advantage of the poor legit murdering children for fun. One subhuman who was charged with over 9000 counts of murder. kept babies, fetus and pieces of them in jars, he said it was because he enjoyed keeping these goy fetus as trophies.
Been reading so much into insurance fraud/unneed medical criminal treatment/etc before everything became digital with networks. Surgeions murdering people and not getting their liences removed when their rep is too bad they just go to another hospital opr state. Ruining lives nonstop for a bit of profit complete nazi butchers. With no repercussions maybe the hospital has pay out a tiny lawsuit. Its fucking insane it still happens all the time.
/longass rant
But the corporate media lied to us and made it like she was the villain. Fuckers. There need to be consequences for this kind of despicable behavior.
When you have a megabillion dollar company on one side and an ordinary American on the other, we all know who to side with, right? Our own side. Not the wealthy.
But it still is because she inflicted the burns on herself with her handling of the coffee and, as someone that's spilled boiling water on myself before without such injuries, her clothing choice definitely played a much larger role than the temperature of the coffee.
If you suffer serious injury doing something stupid, that does not grant you the right to have other people pay you a six figure sum.
@@RaynmanPlays If you boil water you know how hot it is. McDonald’s knew they were keeping the coffee at an unsafe temperature for consumers. They were held liable for their mistake.
@@SinisterMD I like how you stopped reading immediately after I mentioned spilling boiling water on myself. Just boom. Instant. Not even a word after that.
This lawsuit is proof that even when the little guy wins, giant corporations can still manipulate the public and win .
What giant corporations manipulated anything in this situation?
@@DavidKen878McDonalds did. They manipulated the information the public got and many people believed that the poor lady was just a greedy person looking for quick cash. Some people still believe that to this day even.
@@Amity-park That wasn't McDonalds fault. That was the late night talk show hosts and people spreading misinformation that did that. McDonald's never came out and said that poor woman was faking it or that she was just trying to get rich.
@@DavidKen878 McDonald’s never did anything to change that perspective so they were a part of the manipulation
No top commenter, you’re the manipulator here🤦♀️
This case was taught in my business 101 class on how corporations will misrepresent the facts to not hurt their public image.
It’s called lying. They lie.
I remember first learning what really happened on Adam Ruins Everything. The fact that these tools dragged an old lady’s name through the mud is disgusting.
What is worse is that everyone bought into it.
@@mbox314 I know, it’s terrible.
You know that narrative is itself just propaganda right? There is no reasonable expectation that coffee will be served at a temperature safe for your cooter.
@@mbox314 what's worse is that everyone bought into the anti-corporation bullshit narrative, and believe that she shouldn't have been responsible enough to not put hot coffee in her crotch.
Bullshit
If it involves a hospital visit and surgical procedures, it's not frivolous. They should have at LEAST paid her medical bills.
She should have never put hot coffee in her crotch.
Exactly
That's what the original $20k was asking
I feel like even if it's 100% not your fault, if someone gets a gnarly injury in your business you should pay their medical bills. It's chump change for a chain like mcdo, and advertising to boot.
It makes me so angry that she was made out to be the bad guy and even in death she is mocked for being the victim.
She wasn't bad, just a stupid fucking person.
Hold up, the coffee killed her?
na hshe was just old. but today still people say "that woman that sued mcd cause of hot coffee" without context, why videos like that are important
@@12thMandalorian
lets say this way: other places sold coffee at 160 degrees which takes around 20 seconds to cause 3rd degree burns.
mcdonalds coffee at the time took 3 seconds to cause same... still think it was just a little hot coffee? @@Meton2526
I watched this poor woman’s documentary years ago, this is why the coffee tastes so burnt and bad. This woman should have gotten her whole settlement of 2.7 million,she deserved every penny of it.
She should be pointed at and mocked and ridiculed for being so fucking stupid as to put hot coffee in her crotch.
Pffttt... no.
@@monkeygraborange simp
After learning about what really happened, I simply felt sorry for Stella. I'm not sure who disgusts me more McDonald's for forcing her to sue them? Or the media for making her out to be the bad guy?
The media. They have ALWAYS been the worst. Look at today!
Definitely the media
I have enough disgust for both.
@@shadow6543 Yup. I'll bet McDs paid off the media. This is one of the reasons that the Internet, despite its faults, is also awesome: The truth can get through there easier than in the traditional media.
Same for the dingo eating the baby... Actually that's worse😭😭😭
“A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its pants on.” - Mark Twain
We studied this case in my paralegal program. At the time it was thought of as a quintessential frivolous lawsuit but that woman almost died.
I'm just shocked at seeing how badly burned she had gotten from that coffee! Poor woman! 😢
@@melissacooper8724 That's why normal intelligent people don't put hot fucking coffee in their crotch.
Bullcrap
@@monkeygraborange Stella Liebeck was 79 at the time of the incident, She suffered third degree burns in her pelvic regions and had to get a skin graft.
Given her age and the damage of the burns, there's no doubt in my mind she almost died.
@@monkeygraborange SIMP LOL
its a shame mcdonalds with its corporate might was able to sway public opinion and besmirch Stella Liebeck. even to this day most ppl do not understand what truly happened, only remember lady spilled coffee and sued.
You realize that the anti-mcdonalds position is itself just propaganda sway right? There is never a reasonable expectation that holding HOT COFFEE in your crotch is a safe thing to do. She chose the negligent action.
It is FAR more popular a belief that McDonalds was wrong and she was right, and that's the fraudulent position dominated by propaganda. The real position that she was a dumb fucking cunt who put hot coffee right up on her cooter has been lost to the fake "Little person vs big corporation" story.
She was a grifter,
.
Journalists, man. Can they ever stop being evil? It appears to be in their nature to lie for the benefit of the already wealthy.
@@monkeygraborange LOL SIMP
I was only a teen back then, but even when media was mocking her and late night talk show hosts ridiculed her, I felt bad for her. I did not once think she was in it for the money. As the truth started to come out more over the years, I realized that she really didn't deserve all that negative press.
Bullshit.
She mocked because of how the whole thing played out. Basically, she sued because the coffee was too hot. If you listen to the testimonies, it basically comes down to that she was unable to hold the cup of coffee that she spilled on herself. She was the one who took off the cap, she was the one who placed the hot coffee in-between her lap while sitting on an uneven car seat. Yeah, McDonald's makes their coffee too hot, but it seems to be common knowledge back then based on the testimonies. Nowhere in her testimonies did she say that McDonald's caused her to spill her coffee. She then spent a 20,000.00 settlement to McDonald's before she sued. It is about 487,342.86 in today's dollar if add inflation rate. Would you pay someone who made a claim and spent a settlement for 487,342.86 out of the blue? Plus she and her son were the ONLY witnesses and what we know is based on what they said. We will never know what really happened. There is no one to collaborate on their story. They interviewed the jury back then and the only reason they supported the lady was because they didn't like how McDonald handled the situation.
McDonalds had the news media companies in their control. They were one of their biggest advertisers, and they made the fake news media companies report it that way on purpose. The fake news didn't ridicule it because they wanted to, they were forced to.
@@teax25 LMAOOO SIMP ALERT
@@nomoretwitterhandles no common sense alert
The high number the jury came up with was profits from 1 days coffee sales that's why it was so high
You missed some of the best details is which MickyD’s hired actors to slander her and the campaign against her.
Moral of story. They should've just paid her the $20K she initially asked for. And don't order hot coffee in a car with no cup holders.
The lesson to be learned here is that the media is allways taking the side of the big guys and we always believe them.
The lesson here is that smart people don't put hot coffee in their crotch.
Defending the wealthy and punching down on the little guy. You're a journalist, right? @@Meton2526
@@Meton2526 LOL SIMP LMFAO
@@Meton2526if that is what you got out of this then you're definitely NOT one of the "smart people"
When I worked at Mcdonald's in the late 80s and early 90s, all I heard daily was "The coffee's not hot enough!"
When I saw her injuries and thought of my own grandmother I was furious!
Thank you for covering this lawsuit.
I remember hearing about this at the time and as a kid, i even thought it was stupid reason to sue McDonalds. Interesting to hear the full details.
The way the media painted her still is disgusting, McDonald's was in the wrong here
Stella wasn't the only person that got burned by their coffee. There were many others that got burned just as bad if not worse than her!
No, McDonald's wasn't wrong, the stupid bitch who put hot coffee in her crotch was.
@@melissacooper8724is that a point for, or against her? If anything, she was the first one willing enough to do anything to get those clowns to listen to her, which is pretty admirable. Now everyone has her to thank for, at least, a little cooler and safer gross coffee.
@@kylemorello4787 It was a point for Stella.
There’s an excellent documentary on this called “hot coffee” (2011) I strongly recommend. That poor woman, this lawsuit had massive implications for this kind of liability for companies and they brainwash people by saying everything is 100% the fault of the consumer
It WAS 100% her fault. Don't put hot coffee in your crotch.
@@Meton2526 she didn't though, it fucking spilled
@@liamzakhaev And what was the location of the coffee when it spilled? Nestled in her crotch.
@@Meton2526you're a fucking moron, it was completely McDonald's fault.
@@Meton2526 SIMP LMFAOO GO SUCK OFF RONALD MCDONALD SIMP
I have fond memories of going to McDonald's as a wee kid in the late 80s with my dad. I'd get a happy meal and he'd get a cup of coffee. I remember him saying he liked it hot because it took more time to drink. Nowadays, I'm not big on McDonald’s (except their iced coffee, yummy) but they are forever part of my childhood.
We covered this story in a marketing ethics class I took. Ever since whenever someone mentions this case I tel them all about what McDonald’s did
4:14 omg a good burger reference. I never thought I'd see the day when people make good burger references.
Not frivolous, mcds 100% at fault. Lady deserves everything she got out of them and more.
Some lady puts hot coffee in her crotch, and McDonalds is 100% at fault ... give me a fucking break. Learn some personal responsibility.
I wouldn't say 100% she did spill it because she had the cup in between her legs, granted the car had no cupholders.
@@CesarPerez-cn8nr100%
@@CesarPerez-cn8nrshe did acknowledge that tho. Regardless, a simple oopsy daisy shouldn't result in that much physical damage.
@kylemorello4787 Oh, I completely agree. The coffee was too hot for no good reason.
My heart goes out to her and her family to this day.
This woman was ridiculed and mocked after receiving serious injuries after McDonald's started a malicious PR campaign.
Getting burnt hurts,essentially when you are older.
I never knew all the details about the case. 😮
She deserved so much more money
Fun fact. There’s another lawsuit against MCDonalds for the same exact thing right now. They never learn.
Ummmm In case you missed it.....ALL coffees served to the public are about that same temperature.
@@marilynalvarez9951 Yet only McDonalds are being sued. Maybe they are doing something better than MCDonalds.
@@jazcc because they settled with one person they are more likely to settle again and lawyers know this. Greed!
@@marilynalvarez9951 Just shouting "greed" doesn't make it so, it doesn't prove your previous claims or statements for example.
@@gondoravalon7540 perhaps you should oh I don't know look at the video, it clearly says that all coffees are served and that temperature OR you can look up the information for yourself. Oh and yes, I work for a personal inquiry attorney and I see people trying to sue for the most ridiculous things just to make a quick buck....so yes, greed IS a big factor.
safety should be the main concern.
Can't imagine the pain she felt with those birns, and than having to deal with the humiliation of everyone mocking you
Bottom line: the lawsuit failed to change McDonald's behavior as they - and competitors - are still serving at dangerous temps.
Oh here I thought I was a big wuss when I burnt my hand mixing the creamer and sugar from Jack in the Box.
It did change. They have clear warnings on cups now
There is no reasonable expectation that hot coffee is going to be served at a temperature safe for throwing it onto your cooter. She was a dumb bitch for doing that, and her burns were entirely her fault.
Obviously she had made coffee for herself at home and was a regular coffee drinker so one has to ask, did she ever stick her hand in a fresh pot of coffee she made to see if it would burn her hand? Of course not because any dimwit knows that in order to make coffee in a Mr. Coffee pot at home, the water in it BOILS. Water boils at 212°F and everybody knows it's hot enough to burn human skin. Personal responsibility is just that. Coffee is hot and knives are sharp, kids. You cut yourself with a knife, that's your fault. You spill hot coffee on your self, that's your fault.
"It's not my fault I spilled hot coffee on myself!" Oh really? Who spilled the coffee on you? Well, I did... 😐
There are a lot of contributing factors though, these days, the "coffee cups" are a lot more sturdy and heat resistant, they have sleeves making them easier/tolerable to hold which didn't exist back then. Also the sad fact that her attire made things even worse by quick absorption, just a bad, bad situation...poor lady.
I spilled a McDonald's coffee in my lap when i balanced it on a dvd, 3rd degree burns to thigh and junk. Never occured to me to sue.
As a high paid corporate executive, I want to thank you for your cooperation.
well thanks for sharing you're painful experience
@@jamalwalker next time keep your patronising thoughts to yourself and don’t talk to me
If you believe this woman was over dramatic, you should look up the pictures of her burns.
While I do sympathize she should not have put the freaking coffee between her freaking legs in the first place!!!!! I do applaud her for admitting that also
@@joshuafletcher598 I’ve done that a million times. Anyone would have
While driving cross country in a moving van and being without sleep, I stopped for coffee when I needed some. McDonalds coffee was consistently so hot, I stopped going there. Plus it tasted nasty. There is no need to sell coffee that hot.
In New England, we just get ice coffees and they're from Dunkin Donuts...instant gratification!
If only they made their Dunkin' Midnight as an iced drink (and not just as a hot drink), it's SO TASTY!
The inventor of Mr. Coffee did extensive research on the proper brew temp for the best tasting coffee - it was about 140F.
140°F = 60°C
Boiling water burns coffee
No it wasn't. Most recommendations are closer to 200F. But it's also dependent on personal taste. 140F is WAY too low for a proper infusion.
@@Meton2526Thank you!
Sadly yes.... and now they put caution on the coffee cups.
If you watxhed the video it always said that
Never did understand why some people want their coffee that hot, and even more so, why they think everyone else should just have to deal with it.
The biggest crime here is what McDonald’s was doing to its coffee.
At that temperature is no longer coffee, well if it ever was to begin with.
A+ video!
Fascinating background of the case!
I remember when this happened...I read about it in newspaper when I was a child and saw briefing about it on the nightly news up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. I was rooting for Stella!
Another great vid by Weird History Food
Love the videos. Keep them coming!
This is partially the reason I cut McDonald's from my diet years ago.
Also, McDonald's does not taste good. Their quality fell sharply at around 2018.
Indeed...that and the fact that don't use REAL ingredients like they used to...more chemicals than anything else, just gross.
I worked at BK at this time, and afterwards, we had to put coffee in a bag(for single cups)or one of those paper drink carriers(for multiples)before handing it out in the drive-thru. And after all these years, I still sometimes hear “Well, she STILL should have known that coffee is hot.”
I remember burning the crap out of my mouth on McDonald's coffee back in the 90's. It was like lava. The good ole days.
I've been arguing with people about this for years.
I mean, are frivolous lawsuits a problem? Absolutely. But, this isn't one of them.
My family was once staying at a very nice, family-owned ranch/hotel in Vermont, and at dinner my young daughter ordered a hot chocolate. The waitress placed it right in front of her and I immediately tried to grab it. I was too late, and my kid pulled the cup toward her, spilling the contents, and sending her to the hospital with 2nd degree burns. (after the initial commotion, I saw the waitress standing in a corner crying her eyes out)
The hotel sent an employee with us to the hospital, and said, "any cost to you is taken care of, your stay is free, and we will immediately retrain our staff so that this doesn't happen again." They even kept in touch with us in the months that followed as my daughter healed and paid for any after-care.
The point being...It was an awful accident (with, thankfully no scarring). They took full responsibility, and changed the way that they served hot beverages. We didn't sue, even though we could have, because the change happened, and honestly, I still take some blame...Could I have reacted quicker? Should I have been paying more attention as the waitress approached? Lessons learned, end of story.
(edited for typos)
Dangerous coffee and an always broken ice-cream machine.
You forgot to mention, she also tried to sue the car manufacturer of the car her grandson was driving for not having cup holders and that law suit got thrown out of court.
Not to mention the fact that the way she handled it in the car was kind of dumb. They should have waited to drive until she could properly hold it.
@@nohandle62first they weren't driving, they had parked. Second, she admitted she mishandled the cup, but the coffee was too hot. That's what won her the lawsuit, the coffee was dangerously hot.
where the hell you got that she tried to sue car manufacturer? she never did that.
Wait… so they haven’t changed the temperature of their coffee ven after the lawsuit??
Truth be told, even staying in the dining room that coffee can burn badly. I have gotten intense burns in my mouth and throat drinking scalding hot coffee right in the restaurant. In other words they just keep the coffee too hot no matter the circumstances 😮
Geez, to me 140 degrees is hot. The warning didn’t say “Could cause 3rd degree burns !” 🤬🤬
Look at subway's controversies... they have jared, some people will claim that yoga matt is used in its bread, and its bread is sweet enough to be a confectionary technically
McDs just tries to hide horrible coffee by serving it flaming hot.
their coffee is still way too hot; it is painful to hold the cup even if they add cream to it. you need to wait at least half an hour until it's cooled enough to drink.
I often get breakfast sandwiches at McDonald's but I'll go to another store for coffee.
Depends on how the franchise pays attention to the small details. I remember as a kid getting a nice cup of hot chocolate at Winchell's Donuts and burning my tongue often times just drinking it right away and not waiting because it would come directly from their boiling machines! Haha!
When i buy coffee, i usually assume its hot
If it had happened to a younger man, people would have probably cared more. Her life was very negatively impacted and McDonald’s blamed her for it.
That's because it was her fault. Normal intelligent people don't put hot coffee in her crotch.
Who told you to put the balm on?
After all that, every coffee company is still serving coffee way too hot? Justice barely exists in the US, what the hell. Corporations have more power than govt.
Didnt mention the fall back- how much this woman was ridiculed and tormented- or how then companies lobbied to prevent anyone from suing companies afterwards- “Adam Ruins Everything” explains this a lot better
thank you for clarifying this!
I still don't understand what would cause a person to decide to get coffee from McDonaldssss..... of all places.
I just think about Seinfeld when I hear the story now.
I want the original narrator back.
WN😂
The problem with this is that US based McDonalds don't serve beer, as in other countries. Had she ordered beer instead of coffee and spilled it on herself, she would not have been physically injured. US McDonalds should have been ordered to serve beer in their drive thrus. That is the travesty.
Ok we learned 1 label your lava 2 pay attention to the lava 3 get paid for negligence on BOTH parties 4 for everything else there's Mastercard 🤔🤣
Idk if it was the jokes or the delivery, but this video didn't feel as good-natured as the others
0:53 The film Old School (2003) is a college classic today.
😂 this is why coffee cups now have warnings that say "WARNING: COFFEE IS HOT."
The coffee back then was hotter than the average coffee, hot enough to give 3rd degree burns to people
Its a red flag if corporate error on coffee temp is skirted to avoid speculation and public shame that’s shady😮
While I don't dismiss the idea that the coffee was far hotter than it should have been, common sense tells most of us not to allow a hot liquid anywhere near that area.
This is a perfect example of how the rest of the world laughs their asses off, at the US, when ridiculous lawsuits like this can even get inside a courtroom. Sure, poor lady, she didn't deserve to get burnt, but that can never ever be McD's fault.
keeping coffee at a temperature to cause 3rd degree burns should be a criminal offence in itself, you corp simp.
This the perfect example to show that the rest of the world has as much if even more retards than the US when this ☝️ is their point of view on the situation.
lets say this way: other places sold coffee at 160 degrees which takes around 20 seconds to cause 3rd degree burns.
mcdonalds coffee at the time took 3 seconds to cause same... still think it wasn't mcdonalds fault?
@@nevermind5657 Uhm no. According to the American Burn Association, in fact burning happens within 1 second at already 155°F. For burning at +15 seconds, water would have to be less than 130°F. For actual 3rd degree burns water would have to be almost boiling and skin would have to be exposed to this for prolonged periods of time, which may have been what happened in this case.
But all this is besides the point. Coffee is hot and should be treated as such. Regular home coffee machines can easily make coffee at 200°F, espresso machines and 160°F. Will you blame manufacturers of those too?
So in conclusion: water is wet, the sun is bright and coffee is hot. Why these things can come as a surprise to silly Americans, is quite perplexing.
@@blcjck8121 *Coffee is hot*
Actually, this statement is why that info about third degree burns is NOT "besides the point," since "hot" is a spectrum, a range of temperatures.
I feel so bad for this poor lady, I didn't know she had to get skin grafts done...ouch. That said, and the fact still remains that not only McD's but mostly all coffees served to the public is pretty much this same temperature, I know the cups are much stronger/heat resistant these days so that might be a factor ALSO a major factor is her attire that played a role by making the injury much worse by absorbing the hot liquid faster...just a really bad situation all around.
What a strange story. But what do you expect... it's frickin coffee. Coffee is hot.
lets say this way: other places sold coffee at 160 degrees which takes around 20 seconds to cause 3rd degree burns.
mcdonalds coffee at the time took 3 seconds to cause same... still think it was just a little hot coffee?
"Not hot enough to cause third degree burns" wouldn't be cold, that's not how something being hot or cold works.
6:58 That sounds like something Michael Kelso would say on That 70s Show.
McDonald's should have just done its due diligence and the lady should have had her grandson help her since he did park the vehicle.
McDonald's, like a lot of corporations, pay for the lawsuits because it's cheaper than fixing the problems.
i ask my starbucks to be at 140, ready to drink.
1:13 I was gifted the Lonely Planet book The World: A Traveller's Guide to the Planet for a Christmas present from my mother in 2016.
That video was on fire! .....hang on....let me call my lawyer.....
Great video always heard of this story
Hold up:
5:40 “Manager threw coffee at and burned face”
😳
So this old lady telling us no matter what if I make my coffee and spill on my thighs and get a third degree burn, I can sue myself for 20k. Great job lady😂
Wow, that's an even more retarded way to look at this situation
lets say this way: other places sold coffee at 160 degrees which takes around 20 seconds to cause 3rd degree burns.
mcdonalds coffee at the time took 3 seconds to cause same... still think it was just a little hot coffee?
She should have went for one year of free coffee.
180°F = 82°C
190°F = 88°C
McDonald's coffee at least uses a decently insulated cup these days. And the warning is there, lid and cup, in English and Español
This was to hot to handle, and the clown paid dearly for it.
Can you please ban Savannah Simpson? They’re giving me PSTD flashbacks 😰
I had a friend spill a cup on my lap in the early 90's, and man, I wish I'd gone to a lawyer... I still have my 'Freddy Krueger' patch on my thigh. The guy who knocked it over didn't even buy me a new one.
Two words: *fused labia.*
At that age, it was probably like a grilled cheese before the coffee.
@@Tactical_Hotdognow imagine AFTER the coffee
Mcdonald's coffee was way too hot
the picture was a little graphic, some warning would've been nice, i didn't need to see that while having my breakfast.
Grow up.
@@johnnythompson-nz4ws wow, good one! 😂
1:13 That reminds me of the music video Hot Air Balloon Song - The Study Group (Community) on UA-cam.
It is from the tv series Community and features Sara Bareilles.
Stuff like this is why you cannot trust big companies and media. I feel awful for that woman for being clowned on so relentlessly despite having a very understandable case. She was done dirty by brainless cogs in the machine. I mean really, what on Earth did anyone gain by supporting McDonald's in this case? Who were they helping by mocking this woman? I don't know if this is typical corporate obsession or general misogyny, but either way nobody had any right to make fun of her.
There are genuinely useless cases out there, but when it comes to *literal 3rd degree burns* and food safety, I think it's worth hearing out the other party.
She made millions. I would gladly be a laughing stock for millions of dollars. I'm already a laughing stock for free.
she made less than 600k.@@I_WANT_MY_SLAW
Oh, I remember it. I wish I had filed it! ☕ #WeirdHistoryFood #McDonalds #Coffee
It was funny when it happened to Kramer that guy was a jackass.....
Poor Jackie Chiles