Florida Family Gets a Big Payday From McDonald's After Child Is Burned by Chicken McNuggets

Chris Malone Méndez
·2 min read

Back in the '90s, a woman successfully sued McDonald's and received nearly $3 million after suffering third-degree burns from a hot cup of coffee. Three decades later, the fast food chain is forking over another large sum of cash to another customer who got burned (literally).

It dates back to a 2019 incident at a McDonald's drive-thru in Tamarac, FL. Philana Holmes ordered a six-piece Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal for her 4-year-old daughter Olivia at the store. When one of the nuggets fell into the child's lap, it left her with second-degree burns on her thigh. “The Chicken McNuggets inside of that Happy Meal were unreasonably and dangerously hot," the lawsuit read, adding it "caused [the victim]’s skin and flesh around her thighs to burn."

In May 2023, a Broward County jury sided with the Holmes family and found both McDonald's and franchise owner Upchurch Foods responsible for what happened. On July 19, a jury awarded the family $800,000 in the civil lawsuit. $400,000 was set aside for injuries sustained in the past and $400,000 was for damages the jury found Olivia will experience in the future.

The result is a vindication of years of litigation for the family and their attorneys. "I'm actually just happy that they listened to Olivia's voice and the jury was able to decide a fair judgment," Philana Holmes told reporters outside the courtroom, according to The South Florida Sun Sentinel. "I'm happy with that. I honestly had no expectations, so this is more than fair for me." Olivia, now 8 years old, has taken to calling the scar on her thigh her "nugget" and wants to have it removed one day.

In a statement, the legal team was pleased with the fast food giant and franchise owner being brought to justice.

"This momentous decision brings meaningful closure to an arduous and protracted legal process," the statement read, per CNN. "Having previously established the defendants, Upchurch Foods Inc and McDonald’s USA LLC, as liable for their wrongful actions, this verdict reaffirms that they must now face the consequences and provide full justice."

Hopefully Olivia's painful experience can be a lesson to us all to always double-check food temperature before touching it.