McDonald’s Is Getting Sued Over Its Coffee—But Not For Being Too Hot

Three decades later, McD’s coffee is still a hot topic.

For most of us, spilling your morning cup of coffee is infuriating, but can ultimately be chalked up to a bad start to the day. But for McDonald’s, it’s become more than just an inconvenience—it’s the basis of a full-fledged lawsuit.

In fact, McDonald's has been the target of some of the most infamous coffee-related lawsuits of all time. The 1994 case of Liebeck v. McDonald's is the most historic of these, even inspiring a tongue-in-cheek lyric by Toby Keith in his song "American Ride:" “Spill a cup of coffee, make a million dollars.”

But the real-life facts of the Liebeck lawsuit aren’t a joking matter at all. In the landmark “hot coffee case,” the plaintiff received third-degree burns from a spilled coffee that was served around 190 degrees F—much hotter than the standard for other fast food brews. Her condition required serious surgery including skin grafting, and she was awarded $2.7 million by the jury, which was later reduced to $480,000 by the judge. The parties subsequently settled for a confidential amount.

If you've ever wondered why the label "Caution: Hot Coffee" appears on almost every insulated coffee cup today, now you know.

Although the fast food chain now serves coffee at a safer temperature, it's still the target of spilled coffee cases.

What Is the New McDonald's Coffee Lawsuit All About?

In a new civil case, filed September 14 in the San Francisco Superior Court, the plaintiff alleges negligence by McDonald’s employees at a San Fransisco restaurant location. According to the lawsuit, 85-year-old Mable Childress spilled her hot coffee on herself when she was handed coffee with a loose lid in the drive-thru, and the McDonald’s workers refused her cries for help. According to the plaintiff’s lawyer, they “didn’t give her the time of day.”

“Nobody helped her whatsoever. She had to get to the hospital herself," Dylan Hackett told SFGate.

The suit further alleges Childress experienced severe burns from the “scalding coffee” that resulted in scarring. She is seeking her medical bills as well as punitive damages. The case is currently pending in civil court, but if the plaintiff wins, her awards could exceed $25,000.

In an emailed statement, restaurant franchise owner, Peter Ou, responded to the claims that Childress was ignored by three employees, including managers, at her time of injury: 

"My restaurants have strict food safety protocols in place, including training crew to ensure lids on hot beverages are secure. We take every customer complaint seriously—and when Ms. Childress reported her experience to us later that day, our employees and management team spoke to her within a few minutes and offered assistance. We're reviewing this new legal claim in detail."

According to her attorney, the plaintiff is still receiving treatment, suffering both physical and emotional repercussions.

Nearly three decades after the original “hot coffee case” hit headlines, this new brew lawsuit is gaining attention, once again bringing product safety concerns to light. Regardless of the outcome of the suit, let this be a lesson to take care when ordering fast food coffee—and never grab from the lid.

Read the original article on All Recipes.