Some people never learn!

shortstuff · Dec 14, 2002, 06:59 AM

Woman Sues Burger King Over Hot Coffee Spill
Drink Spilled In Her Lap Four Years Ago

POSTED: 4:07 p.m. EST December 13, 2002

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Remember the suit against McDonald's over a cup of hot coffee? Now it's Burger King's turn.

An Oklahoma woman, who used to live in Missouri, is suing because a hot cup of coffee spilled in her lap four years ago. The woman claims the burns on her legs, thighs and other areas happened when the lid of the cup gave way.

She was trying to pour the coffee into her own plastic container when the mishap occurred. The woman is suing Burger King for negligence in the incident, which she says occurred at a drive-through in Rolla, Mo., in 1998.

Her lawyer claims the lid fails to make a continuous seal. A Burger King spokesman says employees are careful to properly cover cups of hot coffee. She also said the word "hot" is on the cups in "multiple languages."

McDonald's settled a similar suit eight years ago.

In March, a British judge ruled against 36 people who claimed they were scalded by drinks bought at McDonald's. The judge said customers should know that coffee and tea are served hot and can burn them.

UberLord · Dec 14, 2002, 07:19 AM

Actually, this shows that the state of the American legal system is plain silly. If you weren't scolded by the coffee/tea then would they sue for it being too cold?

Necrosis · Dec 14, 2002, 09:18 AM

You know what would be a wonderful idea?

If you could compile a list of all these senseless cases and sue all these people for being stupid. It seems to me these are the same people that need to read the instructions on shampoo bottles.

Kelsenellenelvian · Dec 14, 2002, 09:36 AM

Kinda class-action lawsuit against all the stupid people that pull dumb lawsuits??

digitalwanderer · Dec 14, 2002, 09:55 AM

I got this e-mail from a friend this AM:

Quote:

It's time once again to consider the candidates for the annual
Stella Awards. The Stella's are named after 81-year-old Stella
Liebeck who spilled coffee on herself and successfully sued
McDonalds. That case inspired the Stella Awards for the most
frivolous successful lawsuits inthe United States.

The following are this year's candidates:

1. Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded $780,000
by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over
a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The owners
of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict,
considering the misbehaving little toddler was Ms. Robertson's
son.

2. A 19-year-old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and
medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a
Honda Accord. Mr. Truman apparently didn't notice there was
someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal
his neighbor's hub caps.

3. Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was leaving a
house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage. He
was not able to get the garage door to go up since the auto-
matic door opener was malfunctioning. He couldn't re-enter
the house because the door connecting the house and garage
locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation,
and Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the garage for eight
days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large
bag of dry dog food. He sued the homeowner's insurance claiming
the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed
to the tune of $500,000.

4. Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded
$14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the
buttocks by his next door neighbor's beagle. The beagle
was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. The award was
less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have
been just a little provoked at the time by Mr. Williams
who was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.

5. A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson
of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, $113,500 after she slipped on a
soft drink and broke her coccyx (tailbone). The beverage was
on the floor because Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend
30 seconds earlier during an argument.

6. Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware, successfully sued the
owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell
from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out her
two front teeth. This occurred while Ms. Walton was trying
to sneak through the window in the ladies room to avoid paying
the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental
expenses.

7. This year's favorite could easily be Mr. Merv Grazinski
of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand
new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On his first trip home,
having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at
70 mph and calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back
and make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly, the R.V.
left the freeway, rashed and overturned. Mr. Grazinski sued
Winnebago for not advising him in the owner's manual that he
couldn't actually do this. The jury awarded him $1,750,000
plus a new motor home. The company actually changed their
manuals on the basis of this suit, just in case there were
any other complete morons buying their recreation vehicles.

It seemed appropriate.