> Stella Awards It's time once again to review the winners
> of the Annual "Stella Awards." The Stella Awards are named
> after 81 year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on
> herself and successfully sued McDonald's (in NM). That case
> inspired the Stella awards for the most frivolous,
> ridiculous, successful lawsuits in the United States.
This is a lot of right-wing crap intended to undermine people's right to sue corporations for damages. Also, Stella Liebeck had third-degree burns from that coffee. She spent eight days in the hospital, undergoing expensive treatments including skin grafting; she was scarred and disabled for over two years. Before filing her suit, she asked McDonald's to compensate her for her $11,000 in medical bills, and McDonald's instead offered $800.
At the time McDonald's sold coffee at 180 to 190 degrees, enough to cause third-degree burns in less than three seconds. At the trial, McDonald's admitted that it had known about burn risks from its coffee for more than 10 years, having received more than 700 reports of burns from coffee that hot between 1982 and 1992.
Please think before you believe -- let alone circulate -- the half-truths and lies of the right.
- - - - - - - - - - John Lacny http://www.johnlacny.com
Tell no lies, claim no easy victories