America is not the only country dealing with PC bullshit

[FMJeff]

Children can't watch clowns make balloon animals for them anymore unless they have the proper permits and insurance to cover themselves.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070814122358.iyblgf2i&show_article=1

Political correctness is the biggest sickness this world has ever known. The blame for the destruction of our society rests squarely on our shoulders. If you've ever sued for a stubbed toe or hot coffee, you allowed this to happen.

Sure, you net a small, short-term settlement that'll pay some bills. Long term consequences is a society strangling itself on restriction to protect itself from lawsuits. Soon you won't be able to ride a bicycle in a park, because one idiot hit a tree and sued the state. You won't be able to smoke cigarettes in your car when one idiot plows into a family of four because he was chain smoking and wasn't paying attention. You won't be able to take your kid to Chucky Cheese because one kid shoved his hand in the mouth of the animatronics that were too easily accessible and lost his entire arm triggering a lawsuit that takes down the entire company.

It's so fucking pathetic. It's fear and greed at its worst. I remember watching Mad Men the other day and one of the characters slapped another's kid for being out of control and I realized, wow, that guy could probably go to jail or get sued in this modern age, and that was only forty years ago. What will happen in the next forty years?

[Furtherman]

What will happen in the next forty years?

We'll be fighting Chucky Cheese Animatronic Characters in the streets.



But yea, it is too bad. It's the whole idea of not "offending" anyone which is really idiotic. You can't please everyone.

[LordJezo]

We'll be fighting Chucky Cheese Animatronic Characters in the streets.

They will win..

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[FUNKMAN]

Sure, you net a small, short-term settlement that'll pay some bills. Long term consequences is a society strangling itself on restriction to protect itself from lawsuits. Soon you won't be able to ride a bicycle in a park, because one idiot hit a tree and sued the state. You won't be able to smoke cigarettes in your car when one idiot plows into a family of four because he was chain smoking and wasn't paying attention. You won't be able to take your kid to Chucky Cheese because one kid shoved his hand in the mouth of the animatronics that were too easily accessible and lost his entire arm triggering a lawsuit that takes down the entire company.

It's so fucking pathetic. It's fear and greed at its worst. I remember watching Mad Men the other day and one of the characters slapped another's kid for being out of control and I realized, wow, that guy could probably go to jail or get sued in this modern age, and that was only forty years ago. What will happen in the next forty years?

it seems your pointing the cause of the problem at the people pursuing the lawsuit, calling them idiots. the legal system is like a corporation and they are the one's that welcome and invite the lawsuits because they get paid no matter who wins. there is no conscience for the most part. if there is a plane crash and the families receive a settlement. I guarantee you the lawyer or firm made more money than any family that lost a loved one

[FMJeff]

it seems your pointing the cause of the problem at the people pursuing the lawsuit, calling them idiots. the legal system is like a corporation and they are the one's that welcome and invite the lawsuits because they get paid no matter who wins. there is no conscience for the most part. if there is a plane crash and the families receive a settlement. I guarantee you the lawyer or firm made more money than any family that lost a loved one

It's rare for a lawyer to make more than 50% off the settlement. Usually it's like 40%. They still need clients to pursue a claim though, so its still on us.

[Yerdaddy]

I have to confess something here. I think FMJeff is the only long-poster here in the politics forum that I read everything from. He's so lovably insane and hyperbolic that I actually like the posts that I disagree with more than the ones I agree with.

[weekapaugjz]

It's so fucking pathetic. It's fear and greed at its worst.

have you ever lost a family member due to negligence on the part of another person or a corporation? so seeking a settlement for this loss to support a family is "fucking pathetic, fear, and greed"?

[FMJeff]

have you ever lost a family member due to negligence on the part of another person or a corporation? so seeking a settlement for this loss to support a family is "fucking pathetic, fear, and greed"?

Sir, please don't cloud the issue. I'm talking about irresponsible litigation. The people who sue over a fingernail in thier burrito, a spilled cup of coffee, cheese on thier plain hamburger, thier kid not making the football team b/c he's retarded, the chick who sues her company because some guy recounted a dirty joke he heard the night before....

Those people.

[keithy_19]

Sir, please don't cloud the issue. I'm talking about irresponsible litigation. The people who sue over a fingernail in thier burrito, a spilled cup of coffee, cheese on thier plain hamburger, thier kid not making the football team b/c he's retarded, the chick who sues her company because some guy recounted a dirty joke he heard the night before....

Those people.

http://nmazca.com/blog/the_prez.jpg

[keithy_19]

I don't know the point of putting him in there. I just thought that he would do all those things people sue over.

[Yerdaddy]

I don't consider the McDonald's coffee-spilling incident frivolous. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald's_coffee_case)I'm also not overly concearned about frivolous lawsuits because I think it's a smaller problem than corporate legal tactics that protect them from their own responsibilities and often wrongdoing. I've known several people who have had serious illnesses or injuries and who's insurance companies have decided to cancel their policies and fight off the lawsuits by dragging them out for years until the person is bankrupt and has no choice but to settle for a pittance just to be able to start their lives over again. But that's not as exciting as a coffee-in-an-old-woman's-lap story so it's not news and if the story did run in the paper few of us would read it and fewer would remember it and rant about it on websites and family dinners. I've never met anyone who's filed a frivolous lawsuit but I've got friends and family who bring that shit up in conversation like it was destroying America. Me, I need better evidence to start blaming the little guy for the death of civilization.

Still, I can't wait for the next Jeffatorial. They rock!

[RoseBlood]

But that's not as exciting as a coffee-in-an-old-woman's-lap story so it's not news and if the story did run in the paper few of us would read it and fewer would remember it and rant about it on websites and family dinners. I've never met anyone who's filed a frivolous lawsuit but I've got friends and family who bring that shit up in conversation like it was destroying America. Me, I need better evidence to start blaming the little guy for the death of civilization.

So it all goes back to the media? Which in turn reflects back onto us and society? I'd say so. It's such a vicious cycle.

As Ron would often say, the media reports so much frivolous going ons in the country, we eat it up (i'm guilty at times) and it makes for a fearful "pussified" America?

P.S... I believe I may have met at least one person who filed a frivolous lawsuit but I don't know the specifics of the case to call it "frivolous". I think she had a lawsuit against her friend (i'll assume now ex-friend) as per her words. Seems she slipped and fell on her friends back porch and hurt her leg, which is what she blamed all her foot problems on, all the while I thought her limp was due to the fact that she was no less then 300lbs.. and she was short. :rolleyes:

[Furtherman]

thier kid not making the football team b/c he's retarded.

Were you that little kid?

[FMJeff]

I don't consider the McDonald's coffee-spilling incident frivolous. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald's_coffee_case)I'm also not overly concearned about frivolous lawsuits because I think it's a smaller problem than corporate legal tactics that protect them from their own responsibilities and often wrongdoing. I've known several people who have had serious illnesses or injuries and who's insurance companies have decided to cancel their policies and fight off the lawsuits by dragging them out for years until the person is bankrupt and has no choice but to settle for a pittance just to be able to start their lives over again. But that's not as exciting as a coffee-in-an-old-woman's-lap story so it's not news and if the story did run in the paper few of us would read it and fewer would remember it and rant about it on websites and family dinners. I've never met anyone who's filed a frivolous lawsuit but I've got friends and family who bring that shit up in conversation like it was destroying America. Me, I need better evidence to start blaming the little guy for the death of civilization.

Still, I can't wait for the next Jeffatorial. They rock!

I'm sorry but I strongly disagree. The woman tried to mix her cream and sugar with her hot coffee in her lap in her car, while driving and spilled it on herself. Give me a break. Coffee is hot. The lap is not a great workplace to deal with liquids. She knew this, she was just too lazy to get out of her car and mix it on her roof or hood. We all know this. COFFEE IS A HOT. It's common knowledge. So sorry your actions resulted in severe burns, but you are a victim of bad luck. That's the problem with frivilous litigation. We have replaced rotten luck with opportunities to punish a person or company and net big rewards. We don't place our hands on hot irons, but if we do, whether on purpose or accident, is the iron maker responsible for making a product everyone know is hot?

Sometimes in life you're dealt shitty cards. It's just the way it is.

[Furtherman]

Jeff is right. You put a coffee cup between your legs? You're asking to get burned. Your fault.

I don't care that she's 78.

She is old enough to know better and that what the judge should have said before he banged his gavel and dismissed the case.

[JPMNICK]

Jeff is right. You put a coffee cup between your legs? You're asking to get burned. Your fault.

I don't care that she's 78.

She is old enough to know better and that what the judge should have said before he banged his gavel and dismissed the case.

i agree. she was an idiot, and now she is a rich idiot.

[IMSlacker]

i agree. she was an idiot, and now she is a rich idiot.

She died a few years ago.

[FMJeff]

She died a few years ago.

tell me where she's buried, i'll pour coffee on her grave.

[CofyCrakCocaine]

tell me where she's buried, i'll pour coffee on her grave.

Wouldn't be surprised if hundred dollar bills would be growing out of the dirt next spring if you did that.

[CofyCrakCocaine]

Incidentally I think the insurance company by itself is a far greater threat to American society than frivolous lawsuits. Break the little man's back, they do. Anyone who profits off of being heartless... and hospital lawyers... ugh... my chick's pop died while in transit to a hospital and the lawyers sued her family for using the ambulance... I cheer when the little people net huge sums. Dumbasses or not. At least they're winning money by being stupid...stupid's better than heartless in my book. Call me Don Quixote if you want.

[TheMojoPin]

The coffee lawsuit was due to her receiving extensive 3RD DEGREE BURNS from the coffee. Let me repeat that for those that missed it the first time...3RD DEGREE BURNS.

Google image search the term "third degree burns" and have a fun-filled trip through wonder and excitement!

The eventual lawsuit was the result of McDonald's refusal to help pay for the medical bills for the longterm treatment she had to get for her 3RD DEGREE BURNS.

There are plenty of actual "frivilous lawsuits" out there, but it always makes me wonder why this one has become the gold standard for them. A quick look at the actual details of what happened shows that it's pretty far beyond "hey dumbass, coffee is hot!" Yeah, hot coffee isn't supposed to cause 3RD DEGREE BURNS.

But please, continue getting your indignation from those high-larious Jay Leno monologues.

[IMSlacker]

The coffee lawsuit was due to her receiving extensive 3RD DEGREE BURNS from the coffee. Let me repeat that for those that missed it the first time...3RD DEGREE BURNS.

Google image search the term "third degree burns" and have a fun-filled trip through wonder and excitement!

The eventual lawsuit was the result of McDonald's refusal to help pay for the medical bills for the longterm treatment she had to get for her 3RD DEGREE BURNS.

There are plenty of actual "frivilous lawsuits" out there, but it always makes me wonder why this one has become the gold standard for them. A quick look at the actual details of what happened shows that it's pretty far beyond "hey dumbass, coffee is hot!" Yeah, hot coffee isn't supposed to cause 3RD DEGREE BURNS.

But please, continue getting your indignation from those high-larious Jay Leno monologues.

Um, yeah, good point. I didn't want to get into this. I'm not really into back and forth internet arguments, but I've spilled coffee on myself a time or two and have never suffered... 3RD DEGREE BURNS.

[Furtherman]

From that wiki article, which I'll assume here is correct, "Liebeck was wearing cotton sweatpants; they absorbed the coffee and held it against her skin as she sat in the puddle of hot liquid for over 90 seconds.. "

Maybe she couldn't get out of the car. The sweatpants didn't help.

She's still an idiot for trying to open the cup, which was most likely just poured, between her legs. Damn shame, but not McDonalds fault.

[IMSlacker]

From that wiki article, which I'll assume here is correct, "Liebeck was wearing cotton sweatpants; they absorbed the coffee and held it against her skin as she sat in the puddle of hot liquid for over 90 seconds.. "

Maybe she couldn't get out of the car. The sweatpants didn't help.

She's still an idiot for trying to open the cup, which was most likely just poured, between her legs. Damn shame, but not McDonalds fault.

Please don't make Mojo post pictures of 3rd degree burns. He'll do it!

[TheMojoPin]

From that wiki article, which I'll assume here is correct, "Liebeck was wearing cotton sweatpants; they absorbed the coffee and held it against her skin as she sat in the puddle of hot liquid for over 90 seconds.. "

Maybe she couldn't get out of the car. The sweatpants didn't help.

She's still an idiot for trying to open the cup, which was most likely just poured, between her legs. Damn shame, but not McDonalds fault.

Of course it's not McDonald's fault with how she spilled the stuff...the issue of the lawsuit arose when it was found that they were willfully selling a product for consumption "on the go" that was capable of causing serious 3rd degree burns (don't make me abuse the tools again). It's mind-boggling to sell something that can cause that much damage in a situation like that without any kind of warning...hell, it's just stupid to sell it that hot in the first place. Again, there's a pretty big difference between "coffee is hot" and "this liquid magma will cause 3rd degree burns." It's not like that's the only way that stuff could get spilled in a car. And again, she didn't come at them demanding a ton of money...the whole thing snowballed just when she and her lawyers asked for some help with the extensive medical bills.

My main gripe is just with people propping this case up as the pinnacle of "Stupid lawsuits" when, in my opinion, it's pretty far from being that and there are a LOT more deserving candidates. It's demonstrative of a lack of basic research when someone is supposedly trying to make a serious argument.

[Furtherman]

It's mind-boggling to sell something that can cause that much damage in a situation like that without any kind of warning.

What warning? Do not open between your legs? It's her own dumb fault. Coffee is hot. The coffee I had today would probably give me third degree burns. It even had one of those cardboard slips on it and I still have to carry it with a napkin around that. But I'm not going to sit here and stick it between my legs to open the lid to but some sugar in it. I don't even touch it for a good 10-15 minutes anyway. Becasue it's freakin' hot.

Yea, the lawyers did their job.

But whose fault is it overall? The dumb broad's fault.


Edit: I see Mojo's point about McDonalds selling a product that could cause damage. But it's still the dumb broad's fault.

[TheMojoPin]

What warning? Do not open between your legs? It's her own dumb fault. Coffee is hot. The coffee I had today would probably give me third degree burns. It even had one of those cardboard slips on it and I still have to carry it with a napkin around that. But I'm not going to sit here and stick it between my legs to open the lid to but some sugar in it. I don't even touch it for a good 10-15 minutes anyway. Becasue it's freakin' hot.

Yea, the lawyers did their job.

But whose fault is it overall? The dumb broad's fault.


Edit: I see Mojo's point about McDonalds selling a product that could cause damage. But it's still the dumb broad's fault.

Everything that goes wrong is technically the "fault" of the person that is initially harmed or effected.

[Furtherman]

Everything that goes wrong is technically the "fault" of the person that is initially harmed or effected.

Not everything. I trusted them to fix the hyperdrive once and it didn't work. It's not my fault!

[TheMojoPin]

Not everything. I trusted them to fix the hyperdrive once and it didn't work. It's not my fault!

Yeah, well, you put my head on backwards, you stupid lump!

[suggums]

this just in: coffee is regularly brewed between 170-200 degrees

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/DianaGendler.shtml

[TheMojoPin]

this just in: coffee is regularly brewed between 170-200 degrees

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/DianaGendler.shtml

Hot stuff comin' through!

And boiling food products are incredibly hot, too, but we don't ingest them at boiling temperatures.

[badmonkey]

Do not substitute crotch for filter.

[SatCam]

Warning: Phallus is not a stirrer.

[Yuppie_Scum]

I think it's very funny how people think other people's lawsuits are frivolous until something happens to then ... funny how that works.

And FYI -- McDonald's KNEW that the coffee they were serving was way too hot. They knew it but they didn't care and a person was injured. Doesn't seem frivolous to me.

[Fat_Sunny]

Someone Who Loses An Arm Or Is Paralyzed Because A Company Knowingly Sold A Dangerous Product...Of Course That Person Should Sue. He Has Lost His Livelihood And Probably His Ability To "Consort". Who Could Be Against That?

What IS Objectionable, Is Lawyers SOLICITING "Victims". If You Ever Watch Judge Judy Or Any Of The Many Judge Shows, The Commercials Are Largely Bottom-Of-The-Barrel Law Firms Soliciting People To Come In For A "Consultation". They Feed The Mentality That Everyone Is A Victim, And That They "Deserve" Compensation For Their Victim-Hood.

This Nonsense Didn't Happen Until The ABA Said Lawyers Could Advertise. That Was Around 1974 Or 1975, And That's When This "Injury Lottery" Started, With Firms Like Jacoby And Myers.

It Has Been Very Bad For Our Culture.

[ChrisTheCop]

Warning: Phallus is not a stirrer.

if you know what i mean.

[Yerdaddy]

Here's a surprising story:

August 21, 2007
Plaintiffs Find Payday Elusive in Vioxx Cases (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/business/21merck.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print)By ALEX BERENSON

KEENE, Tex. — In Carol Ernst’s eyes, two years ago she won a measure of justice.
On Aug. 19, 2005, a Texas jury awarded Mrs. Ernst $253.5 million after concluding that Merck & Company and its painkiller Vioxx had caused the death of her husband, Robert, in 2001. At a news conference after the verdict, Mrs. Ernst said she was pleased that jurors had punished Merck for hiding Vioxx’s heart risks. “This has been a long road,” she said. “I just know that it was a road that I had to run and I had to finish.”

But her comfort was premature. Merck, the third-largest American drug maker, appealed the verdict — which Texas laws on punitive damages automatically reduced to $26.1 million. Until higher courts rule on the appeal, Merck is not obligated to pay. So Mrs. Ernst, 62, has yet to receive any money.

In fact, none of the 45,000 people who have sued Merck, contending that they or their loved ones suffered heart attacks or strokes after taking Vioxx, have received payments from the company. The lawsuits continue, for now in a state of legal limbo, with little prospect of resolution.

In combating the litigation, Merck has made an aggressive, and so far successful, bet that forcing plaintiffs to trial will reduce the number of Vioxx lawsuits and, ultimately, its liability.
Promising to contest every case, Merck has spent more than $1 billion over the last three years in legal fees. It has refused, at least publicly, to consider even the possibility of an overall settlement to resolve all the lawsuits at once.

The strategy’s successes, from the view of Merck and its shareholders, are clear. In the last year, the company has won most of Vioxx cases that have reached juries. Though its stock plunged immediately after the Robert Ernst verdict, it has since risen 80 percent, easily outpacing those of other big drug makers. And estimates of Merck’s ultimate liability, once as high as $25 billion, are now closer to $5 billion, said C. Anthony Butler of Lehman Brothers.

The Merck executive most closely associated with the company’s strategy, Kenneth Frazier, its general counsel, has prospered. In July, Mr. Frazier was promoted to president of the global human health division, where he oversees the marketing and sales forces, half of Merck’s 60,000 employees.

When Merck withdrew Vioxx from the market in 2004, after a clinical trial found that the drug increased the risk of heart attacks when taken for 18 months or more, some predicted the company’s doom. More than 20 million people in the United States had taken Vioxx, and some scientists estimated that as many as 100,000 might have suffered heart attacks.

http://users.drew.edu/ssood/BORAT.jpg

NOT!

[FMJeff]

I think it's very funny how people think other people's lawsuits are frivolous until something happens to then ... funny how that works.

And FYI -- McDonald's KNEW that the coffee they were serving was way too hot. They knew it but they didn't care and a person was injured. Doesn't seem frivolous to me.

It wasn't way too hot. It was hotter than normal. Mixing coffee in your lap in the car while moving are the actions of a clown.

Let's not forget it was mixed IN HER LAP. She could have exited the vehicle at any time or even put something over her lap in case of a spill.

ITS COMMON SENSE WHEN DEALING WITH A HOT LIQUID.

My gripe is NOT with people with GENUINE cases where malfeasance or whatever was involved. I don't know exactly what you're insinuating about McDonalds, but it sounds like you're saying it was some kind of conspiracy on McDonald's part to burn people around the country with thier hotter than normal coffee. Does that sound ridiculous to anyone else?

[TheMojoPin]

It wasn't way too hot. It was hotter than normal. Mixing coffee in your lap in the car while moving are the actions of a clown.

Let's not forget it was mixed IN HER LAP. She could have exited the vehicle at any time or even put something over her lap in case of a spill.

ITS COMMON SENSE WHEN DEALING WITH A HOT LIQUID.

My gripe is NOT with people with GENUINE cases where malfeasance or whatever was involved. I don't know exactly what you're insinuating about McDonalds, but it sounds like you're saying it was some kind of conspiracy on McDonald's part to burn people around the country with thier hotter than normal coffee. Does that sound ridiculous to anyone else?

OK, cranky old man, completely ignore everything else brought up in this thread or doing any kind of actual research. Just find a better example for your tantrums. Simple.

[epo]

Red Herring Alert!

Please, can we get past the rhetoric of division. Can't you see that terms like "frivilous lawsuits" and "political correctness" are terms that the status quo uses to divide us....the normal people in culture?

If you are a major corporation and fuck people regularly....then get burned by a lawsuit, you scream "Frivilous Lawsuit"!!!! That or your accountants already figured out a breaking point in which lawsuits are cheaper than actually providing a quality product/safe condition, etc...

Blame the victims. It's much easier and makes the rubes feel better about themselves. Change is hard.

In terms of political correctness....did you ever notice it's the assholes that scream "Political Correctness is ruining the world!" Just stop it. Is our culture so devolved that rhetorical or societal progress is a goddamned problem?

I'm sorry, we don't call black people "negroes" anymore. You'll have to adapt. That's "political correctness". Get over it. And yes occasionally we might offer an equal opportunity to those who don't look like you....get over it. It's called progress.

In the history of this planet there has been two basic types of politically charged rhetoric: Fear and love. Fear is delivered by a lazy man who wants their way, but can't find a constructive argument. Love is a harder message, but one that attempts to bring us all along for the ride.

So bitch about "frivilous lawsuits", "political correctness", border patrol and watch those geniuses on Fox News espouse hate. You are only serving to help the status quo & the corporations in their efforts to divide us on bullshit, when we all have similar values as Americans.

[ralphbxny]

Red Herring Alert!

God I am starving!! We have any Herring in this thread red or other colors?

[Ritalin]

KEITH HARING ALERT!

http://www.coalregion.com/images/haring_untitled1.jpg

[Alice S. Fuzzybutt]

Just to keep the hot coffee debate going...

Starbuck's scalding incident program. (http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-08-01/news/burning-brew/)

[Thrice]

Just to keep the hot coffee debate going...

Starbuck's scalding incident program. (http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-08-01/news/burning-brew/)

There is no debate. The McDonald's coffee burning incident was labeled as a frivolous lawsuit by the network news so people who do little to no research swallow that claim without batting so much as an eyelash. If you take the time to do a modicum of homework on the subject you'd come to find out that from 1982 to 1992 McDonalds received more than 700 reports of people being burnt by McDonald's coffee to varying degrees of severity, and had settled claims arising from scalding injuries for more than $500,000.

More than 700 cases over 10 years. McDonalds knew their coffee was hotter than average and it was actually a selling point in many cases. McDonalds was at fault MORE THAN the woman who suffered severe bodily injuries. This isn't a black and white, cut and dry case of who is in the wrong and who isn't. That's not how it works in cases like this. The sooner people start to understand this the less ignorant they'll sound.

[Yerdaddy]

It wasn't way too hot. It was hotter than normal. Mixing coffee in your lap in the car while moving are the actions of a clown.

Let's not forget it was mixed IN HER LAP. She could have exited the vehicle at any time or even put something over her lap in case of a spill.

ITS COMMON SENSE WHEN DEALING WITH A HOT LIQUID.

My gripe is NOT with people with GENUINE cases where malfeasance or whatever was involved. I don't know exactly what you're insinuating about McDonalds, but it sounds like you're saying it was some kind of conspiracy on McDonald's part to burn people around the country with thier hotter than normal coffee. Does that sound ridiculous to anyone else?

The car wasn't moving and she wasn't driving. You've made up your mind and condemned this woman without even bothering to click on the wikipedia link.

[scottinnj]

The car wasn't moving and she wasn't driving. You've made up your mind and condemned this woman without even bothering to click on the wikipedia link.


Well when my wife spills hot coffee in the van, I usually point and laugh. I don't know if I can sue McDonalds when they pull up the drive through video of me falling out of my seat with the hysteria of the situation

[PapaBear]

There is no debate. The McDonald's coffee burning incident was labeled as a frivolous lawsuit by the network news so people who do little to no research swallow that claim without batting so much as an eyelash. If you take the time to do a modicum of homework on the subject you'd come to find out that from 1982 to 1992 McDonalds received more than 700 reports of people being burnt by McDonald's coffee to varying degrees of severity, and had settled claims arising from scalding injuries for more than $500,000.

More than 700 cases over 10 years. McDonalds knew their coffee was hotter than average and it was actually a selling point in many cases. McDonalds was at fault MORE THAN the woman who suffered severe bodily injuries. This isn't a black and white, cut and dry case of who is in the wrong and who isn't. That's not how it works in cases like this. The sooner people start to understand this the less ignorant they'll sound.
It's also important to note that she didn't end up getting nearly the amount of the original judgement. Though we don't know the final amount (settlement was sealed), even before there was a settlement, the punitive amount was reduced to less than 500k. And Yerdaddy is right. She wasn't driving, and the car wasn't moving. The burns were 3rd degree burns, too.

[Pitdoc]

..Mojo, of course she got 3rd degree burns . If you hold hot BATH water against 87 yr old skin for more than a minute,it could cause burns.And the wicking effect of her clothes kept it against her skin. Yes, she was stupid, and it was tragic, but there is no way that she should have gotten a settlement. The reason McDonalds probably didn't want to settle is because it sets a precedent for EVERY person who wants to make a buck down the line.
Of course, I'm mentioning this because I love a good argument....Or maybe because I've been sued THREE times for bullshit reasons. Shakespeare had it right .. kill all the lawyers:annoyed:

[TheMojoPin]

..Mojo, of course she got 3rd degree burns . If you hold hot BATH water against 87 yr old skin for more than a minute,it could cause burns.And the wicking effect of her clothes kept it against her skin. Yes, she was stupid, and it was tragic, but there is no way that she should have gotten a settlement. The reason McDonalds probably didn't want to settle is because it sets a precedent for EVERY person who wants to make a buck down the line.
Of course, I'm mentioning this because I love a good argument....Or maybe because I've been sued THREE times for bullshit reasons. Shakespeare had it right .. kill all the lawyers:annoyed:

Please actually read up on the case instead of relying on almost nothing but "well, it sounds to me..." and hyperbole and ridiculous statements. This woman wasn't trying to get money out of McDonald's for a payday. She wanted help paying her medical bills for the treatment of her 3rd degree burns.

[Chigworthy]

Heath Herring Alert!

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