Author Topic: The "Stella" awards (Read 1321 times)

bowser · « **Reply #15 on:** November 17, 2001, 05:56:00 PM »

...and they think they are striking a blow for the little guy against big, bad corporate America. Not very bright.

bowser

texter · « **Reply #16 on:** November 17, 2001, 06:59:00 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by NATEDOG:
The "Stella" awards rank up there with the Darwin awards. "Stella"
Award: In 1994, a New Mexico jury awarded $ 2.9 million U.S. in damages to 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who suffered third-degree burns to her legs, groin and buttocks after spilling a cup of McDonald's coffee on herself.

oy

small clue here on why she won. Turn your water heaters up (at your own risk by golly-in fact, just pretend you did it) to 150 or higher if it will go that high. In about 24 hours you're going to have some REALLY hot water for your family. So hot that toddlers will be endangered. So hot that anyone taking a shower while the dishwasher is running might lose a few layers of skin in the seconds that it takes to move out of the spray.

Now, the coffee given to the poor lady was hotter than that. 180 degrees in fact. And, poor lass, she spilled it. And suffered 3rd degree burns. and need plastic surgery to repair the damge to her groin area.

So, by all means, decry silly awards from juries for they ARE out there. Just make sure they are silly in the first place. (omg! I have to READ!?!?)

Tex
there goes that 4th star

capt. apathy · « **Reply #17 on:** November 17, 2001, 08:02:00 PM »

I don't drink coffee, but most of my friends that do prefer it hot, and usually complain to the restaurant if it's not.
I have no problem with large judgments in a case of a defective product or hiding a known danger but there comes a time where people need to think for themselves.
just look at some of the stupid warning labels that are on products.
when I bought 'water-wings' for my son they actually had a label that said "not to be worn around the ankles". I think that as a society we could probably do with out anybody who would need such a warning

[ 11-17-2001: Message edited by: capt. apathy ]

J_A_B · « **Reply #18 on:** November 17, 2001, 08:42:00 PM »

FYI, 140 is considered so hot it will burn the throat and lungs.

If you drank 180-degree coffee you'd probably die; at the very least your throat and stomach would be very badly damaged. If you spilled it on you, you'd suffer severe burns. Liquid at such high temperature is well past the point of being "safe". McDonalds was clearly in the wrong.

J_A_B

StSanta · « **Reply #19 on:** November 18, 2001, 02:34:00 PM »

Yeah, let's settle for 20C degree coffee.

NATEDOG · « **Reply #20 on:** November 19, 2001, 10:19:00 AM »

funny you say that J_A_B, cuz everyone else at that McDonalds WAS drinking the coffee, so I find it hard to believe that the coffee was that hot.

Eagler · « **Reply #21 on:** November 19, 2001, 11:07:00 AM »

we all pay for it through higher product and insurance costs.. you truly don't think these settlements harm the corporations do you?

there should be an intelligence test during jury selection. otherwise as it is now the lawyers just have to pick stupid jurors to pad their case..

AKSWulfe · « **Reply #22 on:** November 19, 2001, 11:28:00 AM »

What's even more amazing is that Mickey D's coffee has always and still is served in styrofoam cups.

Them things will melt right quick at 180degrees.

140 is pushing it.

I find it hard to believe the cup stayed in a solid state at those temperatures.
-SW

Serapis · « **Reply #23 on:** November 19, 2001, 03:09:00 PM »

That Coffee was always hot as hell. I used to ask for them to put some ice in it, otherwise it would be 15 minutes before I could drink it. I think in the Stella case there were plenty of complaints on file before the injury.

It is too easy to file and even win frivolous lawsuits today, but corporations (where applicable) do have a "human life/injury" value on their products and practices. At the point your death(s) costs more than the fix is where the fix will occur. Tough luck for you.

What’s needed is intelligent reform in this area. If there is a sticker with a pictograph saying/showing "don’t dry your hair in the shower with the hair dryer," and you do, then that’s your fault. If, however, they know the dryer will short out x number of times and cause a fire, but it’s too expensive (say 20 cents a unit) to change until enough people die, then they should be reamed. And belive me, such cold equations are a reality in business.

Charon

texter · « **Reply #24 on:** November 20, 2001, 03:20:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by NATEDOG:
funny you say that J_A_B, cuz everyone else at that McDonalds WAS drinking the coffee, so I find it hard to believe that the coffee was that hot.

here is just ONE link for you to peruse at your leisure.

http://www.monttla.com/KUFM/1999/5-25-99%20comm.html

Tex
there ARE more

Gtoraii · « **Reply #25 on:** November 20, 2001, 09:48:00 AM »

This stuff makes me sick, all this BS and My mother who has 3 back surgeries from the same surgeon all of them bad, leaving her crippled, she even had another doctor who would testify(pretty rare), and she couldn't get a lawyer because in California the max you can get for malpractice is 250grand!!!! No lawyers wanted to "waste their time for so little money"! We tried and tried and couldn't even find a bad lawyer!

Now my mom is 100% disabled, and lawyers pull toejam like this!

[ 11-20-2001: Message edited by: Gtoraii ]

-lynx- · « **Reply #26 on:** November 20, 2001, 11:29:00 AM »

Quote

small clue here on why she won. Turn your water heaters up (at your own risk by golly-in fact, just pretend you did it) to 150 or higher if it will go that high. In about 24 hours you're going to have some REALLY hot water for your family. So hot that toddlers will be endangered. So hot that anyone taking a shower while the dishwasher is running might lose a few layers of skin in the seconds that it takes to move out of the spray.

Now, the coffee given to the poor lady was hotter than that. 180 degrees in fact. And, poor lass, she spilled it. And suffered 3rd degree burns. and need plastic surgery to repair the damge to her groin area.

So, by all means, decry silly awards from juries for they ARE out there. Just make sure they are silly in the first place. (omg! I have to READ!?!?)

Tex

Texter - let's get the facts straight, before all this Fahrenheit nonsense bacomes really scarily confusing, OK?

Water boils at 212F (SWulfe - styrofoam will not melt at 180F that's just BS

). Therefore 212F is the temperature at which the coffee is brewed. Same goes for tea. Myself, I pour staright from a kettle into a mug and that's my drink there. If it's too hot to drink - I'll wait for it to cool.

Those styrofoam caps are there to prevent just that - cooling! Most people (gasp) prefer hot coffee not some lukewarm crap - that's why styrofoam is there.

It's pretty obvious that in this case McD lawyers were too arrogant and stupid and in the case of 81 year old lady vs. TheBurger Joint the jury went after "The Golden Arches" just because in this case they could...

The whole thing was discussed here before anyway but Tex - you need to get a plumber into that house of yours - if a dishwasher knocks your whole water supply off it's feet there's something seriously screwy there. Get a plumber man and children won't be scared anymore to wash their hands

Nifty · « **Reply #27 on:** November 20, 2001, 11:38:00 AM »

The lady still didn't deserve $2.9 million. That's possibly more money than she made in her lifetime of working.

Lawsuits like this aren't about punishing the company for a mistake, it's about greed. Greed of the lawyers and greed of the victims. The victim should be compensated for medical expenses, lost wages (this could get huge if the person can no longer work because of the accident), and a small amount for mental anguish. The lawyers do need to be paid for their services, but some percentage of an outrageous sum of money is pure greed on their part.

Why not make the lawsuits work for the rest of society? Take tobacco lawsuits for example. Instead of paying smokers and their lawyers gobs of liquid cash, make the tobacco companies put their "punishment monies" into cancer research. That'd be a lot more beneficial than giving someone who smoked 2 packs a day for 40 years $10 million.

AKDejaVu · « **Reply #28 on:** November 20, 2001, 11:57:00 AM »

This basically sumarises the lawsuit against McDonnald's (or any corperation):

Quote

In 1993, McDonald's was unsuccessfully sued over a car accident in New Jersey. While driving, a man who had placed a milkshake between his legs, leaned over to reach into his bag of food and squeezed the milkshake container in the process. When the lid popped off and spilled half the drink in his lap, this driver became distracted and ran into another man's car. That man in turn tried to sue McDonald's for causing the accident, saying the restaurant should have cautioned the man who had hit him against eating while driving.

I guarantee the lawyers didn't even try to sue the person driving the car for one very simple reason: he didn't have enough money. In any accident such as that, lawyers will look for a big dollar victim to sue... anyone even remotely related.

I find that tactic so sleazy its simply amazing.

Perspective: A guy down the street owned a tow truck service. One day just after an ice storm, he got a call from someone that had just ran into the curb and needed to be towed. He said he'd only do it if the person had cash... and the person said they did. When he got there, the person only had a check and the tow truck driver got pissed, so he took the guy's car and left him standing in a snow storm.... wheelchair and all. The plantiff in that case was awarded a modest settlement... because it was a tow truck company.

Later the same tow truck company owner got in a disagreement with one of his drivers. To resolve the argument, the owner decided it would be prudent to gouge out the employee's eye. Once again... a modest settlement.... with the court also ordering the tow truck company owner to give up the buisness.

What happens to a company worth billions vs one worth thousands is noticeably different.

AKDejaVu

NATEDOG · « **Reply #29 on:** November 20, 2001, 12:54:00 PM »

...."What about the temperature of McDonald's coffee? After the verdict in Stella's case, investigation found that the temperature of coffee at the local Albuquerque McDonald's had been dropped to 158 degrees Fahrenheit."

And now there is another useless WARNING on the side of the cup..... there are so many warnings on so many things now, that we don't even pay attention to them anymore..... it's like car alarms, when the first came out, everytime one went off, everyone came running, and now, no one cares.