I wish people would stop referencing that case as if she got paid a ton of money for ruined dry cleaning.
"A
New Mexico civil
jury awarded $2.86 million to plaintiff Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman who suffered third-degree burns in her pelvic region when she accidentally spilled hot
coffee in her lap after purchasing it from a
McDonald's restaurant. Liebeck was hospitalized for eight days while she underwent
skin grafting, followed by two years of medical treatment.
Liebeck's attorneys argued that at 180–190 °F (82–88 °C) McDonald's coffee was defective, claiming it was too hot and more likely to cause serious injury than coffee served at any other establishment. McDonald's had refused several prior opportunities to
settle for less than what the jury ultimately awarded.
[2] The jury damages included $160,000
[3] to cover medical expenses and
compensatory damages and $2.7 million in
punitive damages. The trial judge
reduced the final verdict to $640,000, and the parties settled for a confidential amount before an
appeal was decided."
McDonald's was negligent, and the woman only sought $20k for her medical expenses.