On Sun, 02 Dec 2007 13:26:30 -0800, Ron Wanttaja
wrote:

On Sun, 2 Dec 2007 13:05:16 -0800 (PST), Jay Honeck wrote:

I've heard you say this before, Jose, but never understood it. In
your opinion, what merit was there in a woman winning a lawsuit
against McDonalds because she burned herself on hot coffee?

Did you see the extent of the burns? There is hot and there is EFFING HOT!

Apparently they had the temperature cranked way above scalding levels.

Um, well, okay -- but isn't coffee *supposed* to be "effing hot"?

Mickey D's coffee caused third-degree burns. The argument was that was *too*
effing hot.

There were some extenuating circumstances and a sympathetic jury.
Yes, they used to serve the coffee too hot to drink immediately if it
were freshly made, but most of their customers knew that. It was
served in foam cups so you couldn't feel just how hot until your lips
touched it. it was just right for taking with you...to a point.
The elderly woman was holding the cup between her legs when it
spilled. She then sat in it as she *probably* didn't have the strength
to raise high enough to get out of it. Originally they only wanted
Mickey D's to pay the medical bills, but in our society that would
have been admitting they were responsible and the lawyers said no.
That would have opened a whole new can of worms. So from there on out
it just escalated. Go before a jury and show you were turned down for
medical bills and play your cards right....

Now I wondered what kind of nut would hold hot coffee between their
legs. On the way from my daughter's place in Boulder to Denver
International some years back I found out. sigh I had to take a
jacket off and the only place for my "fresh, hot coffee" was between
my knees, or on the floor between my feet which I couldn't reach due
to all the heavy clothing.

Sure enough, just as the jacket slipped off the one arm the coffee
went over. I did a very rapid imitation of a suspension bridge.
Fortunately we also had paper towels and were able to clean the coffee
out of the leather seat. Spread out like that the coffee cooled in
seconds. However I did have that "fresh brewed" aroma all the way
from Denver, to Cleveland, to Midland MI. No, I did not get any burns
due to good reflexes and being in good shape.

Roger (K8RI)

Ron Wanttaja