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Aside from certain areas of abuse like software patents trolling and the huge monetary loss of being involved in lawsuits even if you are innocent, as an immigr

by param 12y ago

Aside from certain areas of abuse like software patents trolling and the huge monetary loss of being involved in lawsuits even if you are innocent, as an immigrant I think that the US judicial system works more-or-less. Specifically, the hot-coffee lawsuit for McD was IMHO a genuine lawsuit that only gets bandied about because it 'sounds frivolous'. The plaintiff sued because McD was significantly overheating the coffee to reduce costs, much more than expected, and all Liebeck was looking for was to cover her medical expenses for third degree burns. There was the usual - "ignore and be dismissive about the problem" perspective from McD officials that led to heavy punitive damages being awarded by the jury. See more details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald's_Restaurants http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald's_Restauran...

NoPiece 12y ago
You say McDonalds overheated the coffee, but the wiki page you linked to says that is a normal temperature, McDonalds still brews in that range, and Starbucks brews in that range. Since Liebeck, McDonald's has not reduced the service temperature of its coffee. McDonald's policy today is to serve coffee between 80–90 °C (176–194 °F),[28] relying on more sternly-worded warnings on cups made of rigid foam to avoid future liability, though it continues to face lawsuits over hot coffee.[28][29] The Specialty Coffee Association supports improved packaging methods rather than lowering the temperature at which coffee is served. The association has successfully aided the defense of subsequent coffee burn cases.[30] Similarly, as of 2004, Starbucks sells coffee at 175–185 °F (79–85 °C), and the executive director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America reported that the standard serving temperature is 160–185 °F (71–85 °C). Retailers today sell coffee as hot or hotter than the coffee that burned Stella Liebeck. The National Coffee Association also suggest 195-205F. http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=71 http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=71

by param 12y ago

NoPiece 12y ago

You say McDonalds overheated the coffee, but the wiki page you linked to says that is a normal temperature, McDonalds still brews in that range, and Starbucks brews in that range. Since Liebeck, McDonald's has not reduced the service temperature of its coffee. McDonald's policy today is to serve coffee between 80–90 °C (176–194 °F),[28] relying on more sternly-worded warnings on cups made of rigid foam to avoid future liability, though it continues to face lawsuits over hot coffee.[28][29] The Specialty Coffee Association supports improved packaging methods rather than lowering the temperature at which coffee is served. The association has successfully aided the defense of subsequent coffee burn cases.[30] Similarly, as of 2004, Starbucks sells coffee at 175–185 °F (79–85 °C), and the executive director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America reported that the standard serving temperature is 160–185 °F (71–85 °C). Retailers today sell coffee as hot or hotter than the coffee that burned Stella Liebeck. The National Coffee Association also suggest 195-205F. http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=71 http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=71