Urban Myths, Frivolous Lawsuits and the Public Health
What we remember as a popular culture is almost as important as what we remember incorrectly. It is always fascinating to see how urban myths enter the collective consciousness. Are they random, or are they the result of carefully choreographed marketing initiatives that serve one part of society at the expense of the rest?
Case in point is the story of the “frivolous lawsuit” brought against McDonalds by a woman who was burnt by a spilled cup of coffee.
The facts of the case got lost in the belief of its frivolity. Ms. Liebeck, the 79-year old retired sales clerk, who bought the 49-cent cup of coffee from a drive-through McDonald’s in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and who also brought the suit, was originally awarded $2.7 million in punitive damages. Turns out the jury came by this seemingly excessive number because it represented two days of coffee sales for the company. More than a million a day just from coffee. Oh, and the coffee was hot, really, really hot. And more than 700 other people were scolded, but McDonalds refused to turn down the burners. (The judge did reduce the award later.)
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