Stella Lieback and McDonalds Hot Coffee Case: One decision let lead to life changing circumstances can happen to any of us. The outcome of the many decisions involved within this case brought about moral and ethical debate for centuries. On the morning of February 27th, 1992, 79-year old Stella Liebeck (passenger), and her grandson, Chris (driver), chose drive-thru breakfast at a McDonald’s in Albuquerque NM. Stella was not driving nor in the driver’s seat at the time of the incident. Unfortunately for Stella, she spilled her fresh, scalding cup of coffee in her lap. This resulted in severe third-degree burns. Following this came the medical bills, treatment and therapy that most people do not want to deal with. This fateful trip spiraled out of control quickly due to inaccurate news reporting, misleading headlines, and one-liners from all venues of entertainment that are still prevalent. According to the case facts, Stella Liebeck and Chris …show more content…
The endless one-liners wouldn’t be successful or popular if they included some of the aforementioned facts. Public attention primarily focused on an elderly woman who went for a cup of coffee and won the lottery. Myself included, I remembering thinking how society was falling apart, along with who doesn’t know a cup of coffee could burn you. As time went on, the case evolved revealing truths that led to an understanding of her injuries. Comparing my annoyance over a burnt tongue to third-degree burns covering my groin and lap area doesn’t compute. This thought upset me a great deal, in that I judged Stella before knowing the facts. The public opinion still seems to be, “if someone can sue over hot coffee and win, well by god I can do this (insert minor action here) and sue (insert corporation or person here) and win big”. Despite the availability of the case facts, “urban legend” has been formed creating a false idea of what