Coffee: the perennial friend of the corporate office worker, from Farmington, Utah to Nova Scotia. Since at least the tenth century, mankind has consumed coffee as a favored pastime, as a social retreat, and even as a spiritual experience. Yet one’s experience with coffee is not always positive. Many a man from Beijing to Farmington has felt the painful kiss of a scalding cup of Joe upon his lips, his lap, his stomach, resulting in such anguish that there was no choice but to seek out a guardian of justice—their lawyer. These are their stories.
Oakland, California:
It was a sunny day in early 2013. A woman passed by an auto accident and stopped at her local In-N-Out Burger for coffee. Her name was Hedy Chen. As she pulled her car up to the drive-through pickup window, Chen was handed a cup of coffee without a protective sleeve. The cup was scalding hot. Unable to hold on, Chen dropped her cup of coffee and watched in horror as it spilled onto her thighs and abdomen. She nearly got into an auto accident. Screaming in pain, she pleaded for employees to call 911. They refused. Chen now has permanent scars from her hot coffee incident. Her lawyer is suing for damages.
Raleigh, North Carolina:
A police officer named Matthew Kohr had a similar encounter with hot coffee from a Starbucks franchise. After receiving his cup of coffee, the lid popped off, causing the piping hot liquid to pour into his lap. Kohr suffered third degree burns, which aggravated his Crohn’s Disease and resulted in the removal of part of his intestine. He could not work, even to cover traffic stops or a minor auto accident. He couldn’t travel to Farmington or anywhere else. Kohr’s health deteriorated further, culminating in severe weight loss, malnourishment, and many trips to the hospital. Kohr and his lawyer thought his anguish was worth $50,000. The jury thought it was worth zero.
Albuquerque, New Mexico:
The most famous hot coffee lawsuit occurred in February 1992. An elderly woman by the name of Stella Liebeck ordered a hot coffee from a McDonald’s drive-through window. In the interest of avoiding an auto accident, her grandson pulled over so that Liebeck could add cream and sugar to her coffee. As Liebeck removed the lid, the entire cup cascaded onto her lap. Her sweat pants absorbed and held the coffee against her skin, resulting in burns on over 16 percent of her body. After a lengthy hospital stay, Liebeck consulted her local lawyer. Liebeck settled out of court for a very large amount of money. She can now travel with abandon, from the shores of the Euphrates to the valleys of Farmington.
Natalie is a legal writer reporter for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Robert J Debry.
Oakland, California:
It was a sunny day in early 2013. A woman passed by an auto accident and stopped at her local In-N-Out Burger for coffee. Her name was Hedy Chen. As she pulled her car up to the drive-through pickup window, Chen was handed a cup of coffee without a protective sleeve. The cup was scalding hot. Unable to hold on, Chen dropped her cup of coffee and watched in horror as it spilled onto her thighs and abdomen. She nearly got into an auto accident. Screaming in pain, she pleaded for employees to call 911. They refused. Chen now has permanent scars from her hot coffee incident. Her lawyer is suing for damages.
Raleigh, North Carolina:
A police officer named Matthew Kohr had a similar encounter with hot coffee from a Starbucks franchise. After receiving his cup of coffee, the lid popped off, causing the piping hot liquid to pour into his lap. Kohr suffered third degree burns, which aggravated his Crohn’s Disease and resulted in the removal of part of his intestine. He could not work, even to cover traffic stops or a minor auto accident. He couldn’t travel to Farmington or anywhere else. Kohr’s health deteriorated further, culminating in severe weight loss, malnourishment, and many trips to the hospital. Kohr and his lawyer thought his anguish was worth $50,000. The jury thought it was worth zero.
Albuquerque, New Mexico:
The most famous hot coffee lawsuit occurred in February 1992. An elderly woman by the name of Stella Liebeck ordered a hot coffee from a McDonald’s drive-through window. In the interest of avoiding an auto accident, her grandson pulled over so that Liebeck could add cream and sugar to her coffee. As Liebeck removed the lid, the entire cup cascaded onto her lap. Her sweat pants absorbed and held the coffee against her skin, resulting in burns on over 16 percent of her body. After a lengthy hospital stay, Liebeck consulted her local lawyer. Liebeck settled out of court for a very large amount of money. She can now travel with abandon, from the shores of the Euphrates to the valleys of Farmington.
Natalie is a legal writer reporter for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Robert J Debry.