Did he show the jury his before and after pictures?
In the infamous “McDonald’s Hot Coffee” case, Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman, suffered third-degree burns after spilling hot coffee from a McDonald’s cup that she was holding between her knees while removing the lid to add cream and sugar.
In 1992, Liebeck, in the passenger seat of her grandson’s car, ordered a cup of McDonald’s coffee at a drive-through in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her grandson parked the car so she could add cream and sugar, and she placed the cup between her knees to remove the lid. When she pulled the lid, the coffee spilled, soaking her sweatpants and causing scalding burns to her thighs, buttocks, and groin.
Liebeck suffered third-degree burns over 16% of her body, requiring an eight-day hospital stay, skin grafts, and two years of recovery.
Liebeck sued McDonald’s, arguing that the coffee was negligently made and served at an excessively high temperature (180-190°F), which is 30-40 degrees hotter than other coffee shops.
The jury awarded Liebeck $200,000 in compensatory damages, reduced to $160,000 because the jury found her 20% at fault, and $2.7 million in punitive damages for McDonald’s callous conduct. The trial judge reduced the punitive damages to $480,000, and the parties later reached a confidential settlement out of court.
The case became a flashpoint in the debate over tort reform, with some viewing it as an example of frivolous litigation while others saw it as a case of negligence and a company prioritizing profits over customer safety.