Woman sues McDonald’s for coffee burns – WFTV

McDonald’s is once again accused in a lawsuit over burns suffered after a customer ordered a coffee.

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Mable Childress filed a lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court alleging that she suffered “severe burns” from hot coffee she received at a San Francisco McDonald’s drive-thru, l “Today” show.

Childress said the restaurant employees breached their “duty of care” when they failed to securely close the lid of the coffee cup before handing him his drink. She also claims employees did not help her during the June 13 incident.

Childress tried to take a drink from the cup when the lid opened, pouring hot coffee all over herself, the San Francisco Standard reported. She said she tried to tell three McDonald’s employees, including managers, but they “ignored her” and “refused to help her,” her lawyer said, according to “Today “. Childress left the restaurant to seek treatment alone.

She said she suffered severe burns, scarring and emotional distress. She also incurred hospitalization and medical expenses due to the incident, the suit states.

Franchise owner Peter Ou told the “Today” show in a statement: “My restaurants have strict food safety protocols in place, including team training to ensure beverage lids hot are secure. We take every customer complaint seriously – and when Ms. Childress shared her experience with us later that day, our employees and management team spoke to her within minutes and offered their assistance. We are reviewing this new legal claim in detail.

Childress’s suit is classified as an unlimited civil case that could exceed $25,000.

This is not the first time that McDonald’s has been sued for excessively high temperatures of its food.

Earlier this year, a jury determined that McDonald’s and a Fort Lauderdale franchisee were liable after a 4-year-old girl was burned by a chicken nugget from its Happy Meal. The nugget fell and got stuck between the girl’s leg and her seat belt for about two minutes, causing second-degree burns, WPLG reported.

Both companies said they were not at fault, adding that the food was served hot to avoid salmonella poisoning and that it was meant to be eaten, not stuck between a seat belt and skin for several minutes, the Sun Sentinel reported.

The family was awarded a total of $800,000 – $400,000 for damages and $400,000 for their future, according to the Sun Sentinel.

McDonald’s was also sued for drinking coffee that was too hot in Canada. Lok Fung was burned in 2021 when an employee dropped the cup before Fung fully grasped it, spilling the coffee and burning her wrist and left thigh, CBC News reported.

Then there is the most famous case: Liebeck v. McDonald’s.

In that case, Stella Liebeck, 79, sued McDonald’s after she spilled a cup of coffee on her lap in 1992. She suffered third-degree burns over 16 percent of her body. In some areas, the burns involved the muscle layer. Her injuries left her hospitalized for more than a week and required skin grafts. His treatments lasted two years, the American Museum of Tort Law said.

She had offered to pay $20,000, but McDonald’s refused, offering only $800. Ultimately, Liebeck was awarded $200,000 in compensatory damages for pain, suffering and medical expenses, with the amount reduced to $160,000 because she was 20% responsible for his injuries. The jury added $2.7 million in punitive damages, with the trial judge lowering that amount to $480,000.

The two sides ultimately settled for an undisclosed amount, believed to be less than $500,000, the American Museum of Tort Law said.