The Annual Stella Award

elkpark · Sep 26, 2007

So many people love to gripe about "the woman who sued McDonald's after she spilled coffee on herself" ... It's not quite that simple -- she didn't just "get burned" as in, "Ouch, that hurt!"; the coffee was so hot that she suffered extensive third degree burns across her thighs and perineum that required multiple hospitalizations and skin graft surgeries over two years to correct. The McDonald's in question had received numerous complaints already about the coffee being too hot and had not done anything to correct the situation. McDonald's refused several offers to settle the suit before it went to trial. The woman only sued McDonald's for the amount of her medical costs to correct the injuries she suffered from the coffee -- the jury in the case was so outraged by the situation, after they had heard all the evidence, that they chose to award her ~$3 million (that she had not asked for) in order to punish McDonald's. The judge in the case significantly reduced the amount that the jury had awarded.

But, hey, it's always fun to make fun of Stella ...

http://www.centerjd.org/free/mythbusters-free/MB_mcdonalds.htm

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Sep 27, 2007

...but the other stories are REALLY stupid. I can't believe someone would actually think that cruise control on an RV is the same thing as an airplane's autopilot.

:trout:

elkpark · Sep 27, 2007

Yeah, the other stories are really stupid ... :)

P_RN, ADN, RN · Sep 29, 2007

http://www.northwestern.edu/observer/issues/2004-01-08/juries.html

According to this and other sites these are all untrue.

FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I · Oct 6, 2007

So many people love to gripe about "the woman who sued McDonald's after she spilled coffee on herself" ... It's not quite that simple -- she didn't just "get burned" as in, "Ouch, that hurt!"; the coffee was so hot that she suffered extensive third degree burns across her thighs and perineum that required multiple hospitalizations and skin graft surgeries over two years to correct. The McDonald's in question had received numerous complaints already about the coffee being too hot and had not done anything to correct the situation. McDonald's refused several offers to settle the suit before it went to trial. The woman only sued McDonald's for the amount of her medical costs to correct the injuries she suffered from the coffee -- the jury in the case was so outraged by the situation, after they had heard all the evidence, that they chose to award her ~$3 million (that she had not asked for) in order to punish McDonald's. The judge in the case significantly reduced the amount that the jury had awarded.
But, hey, it's always fun to make fun of Stella ...
http://www.centerjd.org/free/mythbusters-free/MB_mcdonalds.htm

I apologize. I had no knowledge of that. The press never ever tells the whole story. I truly hope she is still alive and enjoying her life now.

elkpark · Oct 6, 2007

I apologize. I had no knowledge of that. The press never ever tells the whole story. I truly hope she is still alive and enjoying her life now.

Well, there's no need for you to apologize -- you didn't name the awards. :) Actually, the press did tell "the whole story," but not too many people paid attention -- and the conservatives pushing for "tort reform" have made the poor woman the national poster child for supposedly "frivolous" lawsuits (by describing her over and over again as "the woman who sued McDonald's after she spilled coffee on herself").