Earlier this year, we blogged about the telling documentary “Hot Coffee” that set the record straight on the severe burn injuries Stella Liebeck suffered from a scalding hot cup of McDonald’s coffee. Her injuries were far from minor, and her lawsuit was far from frivolous. However, the Institute of Legal Reform (ILR) is attempting to discredit the popular documentary.
The ILR claims the “Hot Coffee” documentary is filled with mischaracterizations and inaccuracies. What they cannot discredit is the fact that Ms. Liebeck suffered third-degree burns from the coffee, and she endured multiple operations, including skin grafts. In addition, prior to her injury, McDonald’s received over 700 complaints from other customers burned by their coffee. At the time, it was McDonald’s policy to serve their coffee at 180 degrees fahrenheit to cut down on customer refills. How much could these refills been saving McDonald’s that the corporation valued this money over the welfare of its customers? When the jury awarded Ms. Liebeck the famous verdict of $2.7 million in punative damages, it was calculated specifically with coffee profits in mind, although the judge later cut the award down to $480,000. To avoid lengthy appeals, the parties settled for an undisclosed amount. Tort refrom advocates want the public to think the award was outrageous and without a legal basis, which is simply untrue.
The ILR is an arm of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a lobbyist group composed of some of the largest corporate entities in this country, with the purpose of advancing tort reform in America’s legal system. Essentially, the ILR wants to limit injured people’s access to the courts when they suffer harm at the hands of negligent and careless corporations. While the ILR claims they want to promote legal ethics and judicial efficiency, what they are actually doing is protecting the interests of their funders.
Contact our office for a free case review if you or a loved one suffers an injury by a negligent or careless company. We are happy to speak with you.
Harrell & Nowak, L.L.C. – New Orleans accident lawyers