Woman Burned On Dunkin’ Coffee Settles For Millions
The inclusion of “warning: hot” labels on coffee cups stems from a specific legal case involving McDonald’s in the early 1990s. Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman, sustained third-degree burns from a cup of hot coffee she purchased from a McDonald’s drive-thru in 1992. She sued the company, claiming the coffee was unreasonably hot.
The case went to trial, and the jury found that McDonald’s had served coffee at a temperature that was unreasonably dangerous. According to the American Museum of Tort Law, Liebeck was initially awarded $2.7 million in punitive damages, which was later reduced to $640,000. However, the case attracted considerable media attention, often with a focus on the large amount of damages awarded.
Well, Coffee Has Struck Again
Guess what? The coffee’s not the only thing sizzling at Dunkin’ Donuts. They just dished out a whopping $3 million in a settlement over a cup of joe that was way too hot.
According to WSBTV, in Atlanta, an elderly lady went through a real ordeal at Dunkin’. While she was chilling in her car, waiting in the drive-thru line, her coffee decided to take a leap of freedom. It spilled all over her, leaving her with some serious burns.
Why did this happen? She says the coffee cup’s lid was MIA (not on properly, you know), and that’s what caused this hot mess. Her burns were so bad that she had to go through loads of skin treatments. To make matters even more intense, she even said she had to learn how to walk all over again.
The Dunkin’ Donuts folks must’ve realized they brewed more trouble than they could handle. So, they decided to settle the lawsuit by paying the woman $3 million. It’s one way to put out the fire, so to speak.
This story takes us back to that iconic McDonald’s “hot coffee” we spoke about earlier. Seems like even decades later, the lesson of serving safe and not-scalding beverages is one that the fast-food world can’t seem to shake.
