$15 Million for Coffee Burn

Stop fighting guys.... SERENITY NOW!

Oh, how I love the irony of how attempting to quell a certain behavior only incites it. Bravo, nicegal!

Nicegal, no need to get angry. Calm down. I don't really care for your demeanor. Now you're just being difficult. I am making a note of it in your chart. (see what i did there...) I parroted some unoriginal humor from a Seinfeld episode and related it to your comment.

As to her alleged "stupidity" - it will be taken into account by a jury, should it ever go that far. NY is a comparative fault state and her recovery will be reduced by her culpability. YT's right - the other McDonald's case has been completely distorted by the tort reform movement.

Scaldyballs - try reading the linked article again. Assuming the Daily News article is to be believed, the temperature of the coffee was 200 degrees, much higher than safe serving temperature.

Would you agree that coffee at a temperature that wouldn't cause third degree burns, 135-140 degrees, is still hot enough for your satisfaction?

I personally drop a couple of ice cubes in my coffee; I still have no idea how people drink it that hot anyway.

"The coffee was in one of those pressed recycled paperboard trays on top of her lap"

Well that is even dumber. Those trays are flimsy and barely hold a drink securely

Now thanks to idiots like this, soon you may only be able to buy luke warm coffee... because it is safer.

Life is dangerous. Stupid people need to wake up.

You would think these old biddies would know better than to use their arid fannies as cupholders.

Doesn't anybody actually read the articles Gothamist links to? Hey, Smitty and Scaldyballs, she wasn't holding coffee between her legs. The coffee was in one of those pressed recycled paperboard trays on top of her lap. Which is still pretty stupid, granted. Even if it wasn't hot enough to cause permanent injury, I wouldn't hold uncomfortably hot liquid above any body part inside a moving vehicle.

Playing devil's advocate here, but if you read the article, the temperature of the coffee is 200 degrees, well above safe serving temperature. If the coffee was at a more reasonable temperature, at 140 degrees or less, the spill wouldn't have caused such a severe burn.

While we'll have to wait to learn the specific of this case, it should be pointed out that Liebeck v McDonald's is a widely misunderstood and often intentionally misrepresented case. The case had more to do with McDonald's failure to meet existing safety standards than a simple spill 'n burn. You can read the details here: http://caoc.com/CA/index.cfm?event=showPage&pg=facts

Besides, who doesn't check to make sure the lid is on all the way? That's the first thing everybody I know does.

Great another moron with a stupid lawsuit.

People nneed to take responsibility for their own stupidity.

Hot coffee between thee legs is just flirting with disaster.

Blaming Dunkin Donuts for her own stupidity is bullshit.

The courts have got to stop entertaining these lawsuits generated by peoples OWN stupidity not the neglect of companies they bought the "hazardous material" from.

Putting coffee between your legs in a moving vehicle is just plain stupid. Dunkin Donnuts had nothing to do with her bad decision.

It is time for people to take personal responsibility for their actions.

Does this woman deserve the money because she is an idiot?

don't put hot coffee in your lap, especially not between your legs. duh.

writing at 7 am, i found it hard to come up with my own situational humor. especially since i've never been in the situation where coffee has burned my crotch.

I agree that Seinfeld is a cornerstone of 20th century humor, but it is also becoming the easy laugh. People are more interested in parroting an occurrence in Seinfeld than they are in coming up with situational humor themselves. Ditto for your memo reference. I liked Seinfeld and loved Office Space but appreciate & expect originality, too.

Aside from averything said above, I find that Dunkin' Donuts' lids are particularly awesome. Why, just the other day I was admiring their ingenious design! I don't think I could've fast walked down Madison with any other lid/cup.

Hey nicegal, in case you didn't get the memo, Seinfeld is a cultural touchstone for our generation, particularly those living in NYC. Genius in comedy (or, more broadly, communication) is evident in the moments when you find yourself saying "yes, can I relate to that". The comparison between art and life is valid here, and, given the absurdity of the Seinfeld premise, bears mention.

Sorry if that makes me unoriginal...

Jesus Christ, can you please use something more original than Seinfeld humor?? If I wanted to know how everything that happens in NY reminds one of a Seinfeld episode I could hang out with my unoriginal friends!!!

Yep, if they use the Liebeck suit as precedent, she'll get about 500K when all is said and done. Maybe she should sue her friend for driving recklessly, causing her coffee to spill. But then again, her friend probably doesn't have any money, does she?

i blame the lawyers – filthy parasites.

Have to agree with Kojak. After the McDonalds Lawsuit, a jury would likely go for a Few thousand dollars. After that verdict, there is "DANGER: Really Hot!!" labels on cups...

Sorry she got burned, but this was due to her carelessness. Bet the Ins that handles Duncan Dounuts as a client settles for Big Bucks.

The Seinfeld episode was inspired by the McDonald's coffee-burn law suit. Here is an interesting article on the case:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Corporation

Agreed.

But the appeals court will probably knock it down to a few thousand when all is said and done.

Even though the woman is a complete retard, the coffee shouldnt be hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns. But if she likes it hot that way, they should throw out the case.

If you are stupid enough to stick hot coffee on your lap in a moving vehicle, you deserve to be burned. It is also another example of why the hell our so called justice system is so screwed up.