The story of the woman who sued McDonald’s over a coffee and won $2 million

In 1992, Stella Liebeck ordered a cup of freshly brewed coffee at a drive-thru. McDonald’s, in Albuquerque, United States. Her nephew, who was driving, stopped in the parking lot to let her add the cream and sugar to the brew without suspecting what would happen a second later.

Since there was no cup holder, Liebeck put the cup between his knees, but spilled the coffee, suffered third-degree burns, sued McDonald’s, and subsequently They awarded him nearly $2.9 million in damages, about $5 million in today’s dollars.

The case has become an example of consumer litigation against large companies. Indeed, Decades after Liebeck settled the case, lawsuits over McDonald’s hot coffee continue to reach courts around the world.

​Hot drinks in consumer reviews

In Liebeck’s case, some argued that he was responsible because he shouldn’t have balanced the coffee in the first place.

Others saw the lawsuit as a justified fight between David and Goliath, i.e a pensioner against one of the best-known fast food chains in the world.

Ultimately the courts found that McDonald’s bore most of the blame for serving coffee that was too hot. A judge later reduced Liebeck’s compensation. In any case, the figure was millions.

Liebeck required numerous skin grafts and surgeries to treat burns that covered 16 percent of his body. He died ten years after reaching a settlement.

Other lawsuits related to hot drinks have arisen over the years. A woman from Surrey, British Columbia, also in the United States, sued McDonald’s after a coffee spill at a drive-thru in 2011.

​ Another woman lost a lawsuit against Starbucks over a cup of hot tea in Sechelt, British Columbia, in 2017.

Additionally, a Winnipeg woman who suffered second- and third-degree burns after an extra-large cup of Tim Hortons green tea spilled on her lap in 2013, called for national standards to regulate the temperature of hot drinks in restaurants.

More lawsuits over hot drinks in the United States​

Another coffee-related lawsuit was filed against McDonald’s last year.worth 13 million dollars.

Sherry Head, an Alabama woman, said workers served her a caramel latte that contained “harmful chemicals.”

The woman explained in her lawsuit that they also refused to call 911 after her mouth and throat started burning.r, and they didn’t allow anyone to read the label on the bottle that contained the liquid that poisoned her.

According to the lawsuit, filed on September 19, 2022, an employee initially told the boss he couldn’t order coffee because they were cleaning the car.

“Plaintiff drank a caustic chemical liquid and immediately began experiencing a burning sensation and numbness in her mouth and throat,” the lawsuit reads.