[
The 2005 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.

Here are this year's winners:

5th Place (tie):

Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded
$80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over
a toddler
who was running inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were
understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving
little toddler was Ms. Robertson's son.

5th Place (tie):

19-year-old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and
medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda
Accord. Mr. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the
wheel of
the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.

5th Place (tie):

Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was leaving a house he had
just finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the
garage door to go up since the automatic door opener was
malfunctioning. He
couldn't reenter the house because the door connecting the house and
garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation, and
Mr.
Dickson found himself locked in the garage for eight days. He
subsisted on a
case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the
homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental
anguish.
The jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.

4th Place:

Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500 and
medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door
neighbor's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced
yard. The
award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have
been just a
little provoked at the time by Mr. Williams who had climbed over the
fence
into the yard and was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.

3rd Place:

A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of
Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, $113,500 after she slipped on a soft drink and broke her
coccyx (tailbone). The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson
had
thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.

2nd Place:

Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware, successfully sued the owner of a
night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom
window to
the floor and knocked out her two front teeth. This occurred while
Ms.Walton was trying to sneak through the window in the ladies room to
avoid
paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental
expenses.

1st Place:

This year's run away winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma. Mrs. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago motor
home. On her first trip home, (from an OU football game), having
driven onto
the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the
drivers seat to go into the back & make herself a sandwich. Not
surprisingly,
the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mrs. Grazinski sued
Winnebago
for not advising her in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually
do this.

The jury awarded her $1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The company
actually
changed their manuals on the basis of this suit, just in case there
were any
other complete morons around.
]

On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 06:46:00 -0500, Cliff wrote:

The 2005 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.

Here are this year's winners:

Most of them fabricated it seems:

http://www.stellaawards.com/bogus.html
--
- JN -

"Jan Nielsen" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 06:46:00 -0500, Cliff wrote:

The 2005 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.

Here are this year's winners:

Most of them fabricated it seems:

http://www.stellaawards.com/bogus.html
--
- JN -

Not only are the "cases" cited a bunch of bull, the real case that gave its
name to these phony "awards" was anything but frivolous and this whole thing
is a slander of Mrs. Liebeck. She suffered massive burns and required
several surgeries and weeks of hospitalization. The problem was that
McDonalds was serving coffee that was as much as fifty(!) degrees hotter
than what other establishments put out. Their reason was that their
marketing research showed that coffee kept near boiling gave off an aroma
that inspired people to buy more of their breakfast products. By the time
Mrs. Liebeck got scalded, they had already paid off several hundred claims
for burns from their coffee, but considered it a small price to pay for the
increased sales. Which is why the jury clobbered them.

For the whole story, see:

http://caoc.com/CA/index.cfm?event=showPage&pg=facts

Jerry

Jan Nielsen wrote in article
...
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 06:46:00 -0500, Cliff wrote:


Most of them fabricated it seems:

http://www.stellaawards.com/bogus.html
--

Aw, Geez!!!!

Cliff passing along bogus info??????

Whoda' thunk it?????

Or, should I say, PAR FOR THE COURSE!!!!!!! with Cliff..........

Jerry Foster wrote:

"Jan Nielsen" wrote in message
...

On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 06:46:00 -0500, Cliff wrote:


The 2005 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.

Here are this year's winners:

Most of them fabricated it seems:

http://www.stellaawards.com/bogus.html
--
- JN -


Not only are the "cases" cited a bunch of bull, the real case that gave its
name to these phony "awards" was anything but frivolous and this whole thing
is a slander of Mrs. Liebeck. She suffered massive burns and required
several surgeries and weeks of hospitalization. The problem was that
McDonalds was serving coffee that was as much as fifty(!) degrees hotter
than what other establishments put out. Their reason was that their
marketing research showed that coffee kept near boiling gave off an aroma
that inspired people to buy more of their breakfast products. By the time
Mrs. Liebeck got scalded, they had already paid off several hundred claims
for burns from their coffee, but considered it a small price to pay for the
increased sales. Which is why the jury clobbered them.

For the whole story, see:

http://caoc.com/CA/index.cfm?event=showPage&pg=facts

Jerry


he had control of the coffee before she burned herself.

--
"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them;
the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." - Proverbs 22:3

(sic) he had control of the coffee before she burned herself.

A concealed danger she was unaware of, although McDonald's was VERY
aware and gave no warnings. This must be the evidence of negligence
the jury found.

If you see all the facts in the correct time frame and context the jury
decision seems like common sense.

Just be happy it wasn't YOUR mother or grandmother that was burned.

dennis
in nca

rigger wrote:

(sic) he had control of the coffee before she burned herself.


A concealed danger she was unaware of, although McDonald's was VERY
aware and gave no warnings. This must be the evidence of negligence
the jury found.

I drank their coffee at the same (roughly) time span, and I was aware
that it was *HOT* for years beforehand. I never put it in between my legs.

Had the employee spilled it into her while handing it out of the drive
thru window, I would agree with you. However, this is not the case.

She had control of the coffee and it's container, and she placed it into
her lap. The fault was hers.



If you see all the facts in the correct time frame and context the jury
decision seems like common sense.

Just be happy it wasn't YOUR mother or grandmother that was burned.

dennis
in nca



--
"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them;
the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." - Proverbs 22:3

On 2 Jan 2006 09:01:00 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm, "rigger"
quickly quoth:

(sic) he had control of the coffee before she burned herself.

A concealed danger she was unaware of, although McDonald's was VERY
aware and gave no warnings. This must be the evidence of negligence
the jury found.

If you see all the facts in the correct time frame and context the jury
decision seems like common sense.

Just be happy it wasn't YOUR mother or grandmother that was burned.

Both are/were much more aware and apparently intelligent than Stella.

This just in from my email box, and is apropos he
--snip--

Good and Evil
-------------

And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach
and green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would
live long and healthy lives.

And Satan created McDonald's, and McDonald's brought forth the $3.20
double-cheeseburger, and Satan said to Man, "You want fries with
that?", and Man said, "Super size them."

And Man gained pounds.

And God created the healthful yogurt, that Woman might keep her
figure that Man found so fair.

And Satan froze the yogurt, and he brought forth chocolate, nuts and
brightly colored sprinkle candy to put on the yogurt.

And Woman gained pounds.

And God said, "Try my crispy fresh salad."

And Satan brought forth creamy dressings, bacon bits, and shredded
cheese, and there was ice cream for dessert.

And Woman gained pounds.

And God said, "I have sent you heart-healthy vegetables and olive oil
with which to cook them."

And Satan brought forth chicken- fried steak so big it needed its own
platter.

And Man gained pounds, and his cholesterol went through the roof.

And God brought forth running shoes, and Man resolved to lose those
extra pounds.

And Satan brought forth cable TV with remote control so Man would not
have to work to change channels.

And Man gained pounds.

And God said, "You're running up the score, Devil."

And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat
and brimming with nutrition.

And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy centre
into chips and deep-fat fried them. He created sour cream dip also,
and Man clutched his remote control, and ate the potato chips
swaddled in cholesterol.

And Satan saw that and said, "It is good."

And Man went into cardiac arrest.

And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery...

And Satan created private health insurance....
--snip--


--
REMEMBER: First you pillage, then you burn.
---
http://diversify.com NoteSHADES(tm) laptop privacy/glare guards

"Cliff" wrote in message
...
[
The 2005 Stella Awards

Proof if it were needed that the US is a nation of defectives.

"zadoc" wrote in message
news

However, almost everyone has a microwave today, so I see little if any
justification for serving coffee at a temperature likely to cause
injury.

Had I been on the jury, they definitely would have been held liable.

Had I been on the jury, I would have recommended that Stella be arrested for
reckless driving, endangering other drivers because most sentient people
know: 1) coffee is usually hot; 2) hot coffee can make you react physically
and unpredictably when it's spilled on you; 3) drivers often have to brake
or turn quickly to avoid an accident; and 4) braking or turning quickly can
make that coffee you are ridiculously, and irresponsibly, holding between
your legs, spill.

I probably would have let her off with a fine and some points on her driving
record.

--
Ed Huntress

Ed Huntress wrote:
"zadoc" wrote in message
news

However, almost everyone has a microwave today, so I see little if
any justification for serving coffee at a temperature likely to cause
injury.

Had I been on the jury, they definitely would have been held liable.

Had I been on the jury, I would have recommended that Stella be
arrested for reckless driving, endangering other drivers because most
sentient people know: 1) coffee is usually hot; 2) hot coffee can
make you react physically and unpredictably when it's spilled on you;
3) drivers often have to brake or turn quickly to avoid an accident;
and 4) braking or turning quickly can make that coffee you are
ridiculously, and irresponsibly, holding between your legs, spill.

I probably would have let her off with a fine and some points on her
driving record.


That's the law in California now Ed.
It is the natural upshot of cell phone/driving legistlation.
The State of California expects you to pay attention to the road while you
drive. Imagine that!
What a concept.

--
John R. Carroll
Machining Solution Software, Inc.
Los Angeles San Francisco
www.machiningsolution.com

In article , says...
"zadoc" wrote in message
news

However, almost everyone has a microwave today, so I see little if any
justification for serving coffee at a temperature likely to cause
injury.

Had I been on the jury, they definitely would have been held liable.

Had I been on the jury, I would have recommended that Stella be arrested for
reckless driving, endangering other drivers because most sentient people
know: 1) coffee is usually hot; 2) hot coffee can make you react physically
and unpredictably when it's spilled on you; 3) drivers often have to brake
or turn quickly to avoid an accident; and 4) braking or turning quickly can
make that coffee you are ridiculously, and irresponsibly, holding between
your legs, spill.

I probably would have let her off with a fine and some points on her driving
record.


Then you must have slept thru the trial at the back of the jury box g.
Stella was a passenger in the car.

Ned Simmons

On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 09:38:16 -0600, "*" wrote:

Cliff passing along bogus info??????

Note the "[" & "]" "block quotation" and lack of any
sig in the original post VBG.
--
Cliff

"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
In article , says...
"zadoc" wrote in message
news

However, almost everyone has a microwave today, so I see little if any
justification for serving coffee at a temperature likely to cause
injury.

Had I been on the jury, they definitely would have been held liable.

Had I been on the jury, I would have recommended that Stella be arrested
for
reckless driving, endangering other drivers because most sentient people
know: 1) coffee is usually hot; 2) hot coffee can make you react
physically
and unpredictably when it's spilled on you; 3) drivers often have to
brake
or turn quickly to avoid an accident; and 4) braking or turning quickly
can
make that coffee you are ridiculously, and irresponsibly, holding
between
your legs, spill.

I probably would have let her off with a fine and some points on her
driving
record.


Then you must have slept thru the trial at the back of the jury box g.
Stella was a passenger in the car.

Eh, this thing must have gotten twisted as it turned into a legend. I always
thought she was the driver.

--
Ed Huntress

"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
...
"zadoc" wrote in message
news

However, almost everyone has a microwave today, so I see little if any
justification for serving coffee at a temperature likely to cause
injury.

Had I been on the jury, they definitely would have been held liable.

Had I been on the jury, I would have recommended that Stella be arrested
for
reckless driving, endangering other drivers because most sentient people
know: 1) coffee is usually hot; 2) hot coffee can make you react
physically
and unpredictably when it's spilled on you; 3) drivers often have to brake
or turn quickly to avoid an accident; and 4) braking or turning quickly
can
make that coffee you are ridiculously, and irresponsibly, holding between
your legs, spill.

I probably would have let her off with a fine and some points on her
driving
record.

--
Ed Huntress



Ed, usually you check your facts better than this...

Her grandson was driving. She ordered coffee with cream. They gave her the
coffee in a Styrofoam cup with the container of cream on the side. Her
grandson pulled out of the drive-thru to allow the next customer to pull up
and came to a complete stop to allow her to put the cream into the coffee
(still on McDonalds' property, I believe). The cup didn't give up its lid
easily and, when it finally snapped off, it got away from her...

Jerry

Jerry Foster wrote:
"Jan Nielsen" wrote in message
...

On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 06:46:00 -0500, Cliff wrote:


The 2005 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.

Here are this year's winners:

Most of them fabricated it seems:

http://www.stellaawards.com/bogus.html
--
- JN -


Not only are the "cases" cited a bunch of bull, the real case that gave its
name to these phony "awards" was anything but frivolous and this whole thing
is a slander of Mrs. Liebeck. She suffered massive burns and required
several surgeries and weeks of hospitalization. The problem was that
McDonalds was serving coffee that was as much as fifty(!) degrees hotter
than what other establishments put out. Their reason was that their
marketing research showed that coffee kept near boiling gave off an aroma
that inspired people to buy more of their breakfast products. By the time
Mrs. Liebeck got scalded, they had already paid off several hundred claims
for burns from their coffee, but considered it a small price to pay for the
increased sales. Which is why the jury clobbered them.

For the whole story, see:

http://caoc.com/CA/index.cfm?event=showPage&pg=facts

LOL! That website is for the association of lawyers that raked in 40% of
that multi-million dollar fiasco. A little conflict of interest, there!

The simple fact is, most people believe in the idea of personal
responsibility. If you are frail, and order hot coffee while driving in
a car, you were grossly negligent in taking care of yourself. It is not
up to the people who sell you the coffee to tell you that you're too
stupid and irresponsible - not old and mature enough, to handle coffee.

rigger wrote:
(sic) he had control of the coffee before she burned herself.


A concealed danger she was unaware of, although McDonald's was VERY
aware and gave no warnings. This must be the evidence of negligence
the jury found.

Yeah. Who would have thought that hot coffee was... hot.

Idiots.

If you see all the facts in the correct time frame and context the jury
decision seems like common sense.

Just be happy it wasn't YOUR mother or grandmother that was burned.

No one in my family was either stupid enough to burn themselves that
way, nor would they have blamed someone else for their own stupidity and
plundered the hell out of them with the aid of a legal pirate.

On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 15:16:41 -0800, Stuart Grey
wrote:

rigger wrote:

No one in my family was either stupid enough to burn themselves that
way, nor would they have blamed someone else for their own stupidity and
plundered the hell out of them with the aid of a legal pirate.

Are you sure?

That it happened in a drive thru compounds the injury as McDonald's
ought to have been aware that the manipulation of a coffee container
in a vehicle is more likely to cause a spillage then in other
situations. IOW McDonald's could anticipate the risk.

Additionally, the spillage could just of easily occured in other
circumstances as well, for example in the ordinary transfer of coffee,
as the employee transfers the coffee from the machine to the counter,
during the transfer between the employee and the customer, or as the
customer is taking the coffee to a designated seating area.

The issues involved seem to be that McDonald's were supplying scalding
coffee such that was bound to cause injury if spilt.

Stuart Grey tells us:

Yeah. Who would have thought that hot coffee was... hot.
Idiots.

The first time I ate grits I did a good job burning my mouth. Everyone
told me "Everyone knows grits are that hot". I felt, although I and
some others might not know this, it was my responsibility to check-out
a new food item.
If the same thing had happened and I burned my mouth on something that
was (in my opinion) unreasonably hot with no real expectation of damage
I would have felt otherwise. Not you?

McDonalds knew their coffee was unreasonably hot (per the other damage
claims).

McDonalds knew you could spill coffee when opening their cups.

McDonalds did not warn their customers.

The jury found McDonalds neglegent.

End of story.

dennis
in nca

"Jerry Foster" wrote in message
. com...

"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
...
"zadoc" wrote in message
news

However, almost everyone has a microwave today, so I see little if any
justification for serving coffee at a temperature likely to cause
injury.

Had I been on the jury, they definitely would have been held liable.

Had I been on the jury, I would have recommended that Stella be arrested
for
reckless driving, endangering other drivers because most sentient people
know: 1) coffee is usually hot; 2) hot coffee can make you react
physically
and unpredictably when it's spilled on you; 3) drivers often have to
brake
or turn quickly to avoid an accident; and 4) braking or turning quickly
can
make that coffee you are ridiculously, and irresponsibly, holding
between
your legs, spill.

I probably would have let her off with a fine and some points on her
driving
record.

--
Ed Huntress



Ed, usually you check your facts better than this...

Oh, cripes, Jerry. I haven't heard or read anything about Stella for around
ten years. I prefer the myth, anyway. g

--
Ed Huntress

"zadoc" wrote in message news
On 2 Jan 2006 09:01:00 -0800, "rigger" wrote:

(sic) he had control of the coffee before she burned herself.

A concealed danger she was unaware of, although McDonald's was VERY
aware and gave no warnings. This must be the evidence of negligence
the jury found.

If you see all the facts in the correct time frame and context the jury
decision seems like common sense.

Just be happy it wasn't YOUR mother or grandmother that was burned.

dennis
in nca

I totally agree. All products should be safe for consumer use, and
the only possible excuse I can see for serving coffee at a dangerous
temperature is that customers wouldn't have to reheat it if taking it
home.

However, almost everyone has a microwave today, so I see little if any
justification for serving coffee at a temperature likely to cause
injury.

Had I been on the jury, they definitely would have been held liable.


God it's people like you that make my skull feel like it's turning inside out. You're the epitomy of the irresponsible brat. It's
always always always gotta be someone elses fault.

Ed Huntress wrote:

"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
In article , says...
"zadoc" wrote in message
news
However, almost everyone has a microwave today, so I see little if any
justification for serving coffee at a temperature likely to cause
injury.

Had I been on the jury, they definitely would have been held liable.

Had I been on the jury, I would have recommended that Stella be arrested
for
reckless driving, endangering other drivers because most sentient people
know: 1) coffee is usually hot; 2) hot coffee can make you react
physically
and unpredictably when it's spilled on you; 3) drivers often have to
brake
or turn quickly to avoid an accident; and 4) braking or turning quickly
can
make that coffee you are ridiculously, and irresponsibly, holding
between
your legs, spill.

I probably would have let her off with a fine and some points on her
driving
record.


Then you must have slept thru the trial at the back of the jury box g.
Stella was a passenger in the car.

Eh, this thing must have gotten twisted as it turned into a legend. I always
thought she was the driver.

--
Ed Huntress




Back seat driver.


John

rigger wrote:
Stuart Grey tells us:


Yeah. Who would have thought that hot coffee was... hot.

Idiots.

The first time I ate grits I did a good job burning my mouth. Everyone
told me "Everyone knows grits are that hot". I felt, although I and
some others might not know this, it was my responsibility to check-out
a new food item.
If the same thing had happened and I burned my mouth on something that
was (in my opinion) unreasonably hot with no real expectation of damage
I would have felt otherwise. Not you?

McDonalds knew their coffee was unreasonably hot (per the other damage
claims).

McDonalds knew you could spill coffee when opening their cups.

McDonalds did not warn their customers.

The jury found McDonalds neglegent.

End of story.

dennis
in nca



Not quite. Now they ask if you want them to put in the cream and sugar
for you.

--
Steve Walker
(remove wallet to reply)

On Mon, 2 Jan 2006 14:37:11 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, "Ed
Huntress" quickly quoth:

"zadoc" wrote in message
news

However, almost everyone has a microwave today, so I see little if any
justification for serving coffee at a temperature likely to cause
injury.

Had I been on the jury, they definitely would have been held liable.

You betcha!


Had I been on the jury, I would have recommended that Stella be arrested for
reckless driving, endangering other drivers because most sentient people
know: 1) coffee is usually hot; 2) hot coffee can make you react physically
and unpredictably when it's spilled on you; 3) drivers often have to brake
or turn quickly to avoid an accident; and 4) braking or turning quickly can
make that coffee you are ridiculously, and irresponsibly, holding between
your legs, spill.

I probably would have let her off with a fine and some points on her driving
record.

Goodonya, Ed, perhaps adding a recommendation for voluntary
sterilization of her offspring, in case those genes got passed
down?


--
REMEMBER: First you pillage, then you burn.
---
http://diversify.com NoteSHADES(tm) laptop privacy/glare guards

Um...

A- Coffee is a hot liquid, because water is boiled in the manufacturing
process.
B- If you spill a hot liquid on yourself, you will suffer some sort of
discomfort or injury.

If my mother/grandmother/sister were to spill hot coffee on themself, I
would be compassionate, but would not hold a restaurant responsible.
See A and B above.

If more people took responsibility for their own actions, the would would be
a happier and more reasonably priced experience.



"rigger" wrote in message
oups.com...
(sic) he had control of the coffee before she burned herself.

A concealed danger she was unaware of, although McDonald's was VERY
aware and gave no warnings. This must be the evidence of negligence
the jury found.

If you see all the facts in the correct time frame and context the jury
decision seems like common sense.

Just be happy it wasn't YOUR mother or grandmother that was burned.

dennis
in nca

tg offers:

It's always always always gotta be someone elses fault.

As opposed to NEVER anyone else's fault? You must lead a charmed life.
Wish I did.

dennis
in nca

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 2 Jan 2006 14:37:11 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, "Ed
Huntress" quickly quoth:

"zadoc" wrote in message
news

However, almost everyone has a microwave today, so I see little if any
justification for serving coffee at a temperature likely to cause
injury.

Had I been on the jury, they definitely would have been held liable.

You betcha!


Had I been on the jury, I would have recommended that Stella be arrested
for
reckless driving, endangering other drivers because most sentient people
know: 1) coffee is usually hot; 2) hot coffee can make you react
physically
and unpredictably when it's spilled on you; 3) drivers often have to
brake
or turn quickly to avoid an accident; and 4) braking or turning quickly
can
make that coffee you are ridiculously, and irresponsibly, holding between
your legs, spill.

I probably would have let her off with a fine and some points on her
driving
record.

Goodonya, Ed, perhaps adding a recommendation for voluntary
sterilization of her offspring, in case those genes got passed
down?

They should be watched by the NSA for sociopathic behavior. g

--
Ed Huntress

rigger wrote:

tg offers:


It's always always always gotta be someone elses fault.


As opposed to NEVER anyone else's fault? You must lead a charmed life.
Wish I did.

dennis
in nca

So if you run your car into a tree, it is the car manufacturers fault?

--
"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them;
the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." - Proverbs 22:3

On Mon, 2 Jan 2006 23:59:41 -0000, "tg"
wrote:

(snips)

Had I been on the jury, they definitely would have been held liable.


God it's people like you that make my skull feel like it's turning inside out. You're the epitomy of the irresponsible brat. It's
always always always gotta be someone elses fault.

If I had been on the jury, I would have awarded attorneys'
fees to McDonald's. Of course, I doubt I will ever be on
such a jury.

Her error, her clumsiness, her fault, her problem. Hint -
don't spill your coffee in your lap. Don't we all already
know that???

--
Robert Sturgeon
Summum ius summa inuria.
http://www.vistech.net/users/rsturge/

rigger wrote:

(sic) he had control of the coffee before she burned herself.
A concealed danger she was unaware of, although McDonald's was VERY
aware and gave no warnings. This must be the evidence of negligence
the jury found.
If you see all the facts in the correct time frame and context the jury
decision seems like common sense.

Just be happy it wasn't YOUR mother or grandmother that was burned.

dennis

I don't know about your mother or grandmother but mine had more sense
than to put a cup of hot coffee between their legs.
...lew...

Do you want that hot or cold?

The next blurb for McDonalds clerks to learn. :-)
...lew...

"Jerry Foster" wrote in
om:

By the time
Mrs. Liebeck got scalded, they had already paid off several hundred
claims for burns from their coffee, but considered it a small price to
pay for the increased sales. Which is why the jury clobbered them.


IIRC, I thought the jury *only* awarded her one days worth of coffee
reciepts. IOW, average gross sales income from coffee at all McDonalds on a
typical day.

--

Dan

per d & c:

rigger wrote:
tg offers:

It's always always always gotta be someone elses fault.


As opposed to NEVER anyone else's fault? You must lead a charmed life.
Wish I did.


dennis
in nca

So if you run your car into a tree, it is the car manufacturers fault?

Only if it's a Pinto and if it erupted in a ball of flame after I got
rear-ended? (Follow me here.) I guess you know what I'm refering to.
Read my lips: McDonalds.......Was......Neglegent.......Period.

If the manufacturer or business owner is neglegent they can't complain
it was the fault of the person who ran into me because without their
(in this instance Ford's) negligence the outcome wouldn't have been the
same. And this unfortunate lady would not have been burned so badly if
it wasn't for McDonalds negligence.

Additionally whether this lady was competent in her coffee opening
doesn't enter the equation either. McDonalds also knows (trust me on
this) many of their customers are clumsy or may spill coffee for
various reasons. I'll bet they even give their trainees leasons in how
to clean-up the mess.

dennis
in nca

On Tue, 03 Jan 2006 03:13:13 GMT, zadoc wrote:

On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 17:57:02 -0800, Robert Sturgeon
wrote:

On Mon, 2 Jan 2006 23:59:41 -0000, "tg"
wrote:

(snips)

Had I been on the jury, they definitely would have been held liable.


God it's people like you that make my skull feel like it's turning inside out. You're the epitomy of the irresponsible brat. It's
always always always gotta be someone elses fault.

If I had been on the jury, I would have awarded attorneys'
fees to McDonald's. Of course, I doubt I will ever be on
such a jury.

Her error, her clumsiness, her fault, her problem.

That I definitely don't agree with.

Hint -
don't spill your coffee in your lap. Don't we all already
know that???

Yes, but we aren't female

Harumph!!! A sexist are you?

Sue

rigger wrote:
per d & c:


rigger wrote:
tg offers:


It's always always always gotta be someone elses fault.



As opposed to NEVER anyone else's fault? You must lead a charmed life.
Wish I did.



dennis
in nca


So if you run your car into a tree, it is the car manufacturers fault?


Only if it's a Pinto and if it erupted in a ball of flame after I got
rear-ended? (Follow me here.) I guess you know what I'm refering to.
Read my lips: McDonalds.......Was......Neglegent.......Period.

NOT...THE...SAME...THING

AND...NO...THEY...WEREN'T.

Once she had control of the coffee cup it was HER issue, not their's.

Now had the cup bottom come off, or had the clerk at the widow spilled
it on her (or dropped it on her) it would be different.

But SHE spilled it on herself.



If the manufacturer or business owner is neglegent they can't complain
it was the fault of the person who ran into me because without their
(in this instance Ford's) negligence the outcome wouldn't have been the
same. And this unfortunate lady would not have been burned so badly if
it wasn't for McDonalds negligence.

Besides serving hot coffee? She would have bitched if it had been cold.

Additionally whether this lady was competent in her coffee opening
doesn't enter the equation either.

Why doesn't it?

By you "logic" it is therefore Fords fault if you fail to operate your
new car correctly and cause an accident, rather than your fault.

McDonalds also knows (trust me on
this) many of their customers are clumsy or may spill coffee for
various reasons. I'll bet they even give their trainees leasons in how
to clean-up the mess.

dennis
in nca



--
"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them;
the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." - Proverbs 22:3

In article ,
says...
"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
In article , says...

I probably would have let her off with a fine and some points on her
driving
record.


Then you must have slept thru the trial at the back of the jury box g.
Stella was a passenger in the car.

Eh, this thing must have gotten twisted as it turned into a legend. I always
thought she was the driver.


Twisted is such a harsh word. I'm sure no one would intentionally
distort the story to make a point.

Ned Simmons

On Mon, 2 Jan 2006 18:48:05 -0500, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:

Ed, usually you check your facts better than this...

Oh, cripes, Jerry. I haven't heard or read anything about Stella for around
ten years. I prefer the myth, anyway. g

Have a taste your own medicine, Ed. You ruined a lot of wonderful stories
over the years by bringing facts to the table.
--
- JN -

On 2 Jan 2006 09:01:00 -0800, "rigger" wrote:

(sic) he had control of the coffee before she burned herself.

A concealed danger she was unaware of, although McDonald's was VERY
aware and gave no warnings. This must be the evidence of negligence
the jury found.

If you see all the facts in the correct time frame and context the jury
decision seems like common sense.

Just be happy it wasn't YOUR mother or grandmother that was burned.

I'd be happy if my mother didn't have the STUPIDITY genes to do something that
stupid. If she did, maybe she could pass them down to me. :/
Then she could have tried to dodge the blame like Stella Liebeck did by getting
on national tv and saying she didn't want to file the lawsuit but her family
talked her into doing it. How old was she? If she isn't old enough by the time
she's reached that age(70's? 80's?), she really IS very stupid, and calling her
stupid is no slander. Truth is a defense against slander, and she has no leg to
stand on in this case. She did something stupid and she paid the price.
I think every fast food place should now have 2 coffee dispensers, one for
normal people and one for the STUPID people. The normal people's coffee can be
as hot as they want it and the STUPID people's coffee will be served at room
temperature(just like their IQ). It should be plainly labeled, so they won't get
confused(yeah, right, I mean so they won't get any more confused than they
already are).

You have the right to take responsibility for your own STUPIDITY.

On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 19:22:50 GMT, zadoc wrote:

On 2 Jan 2006 09:01:00 -0800, "rigger" wrote:

(sic) he had control of the coffee before she burned herself.

A concealed danger she was unaware of, although McDonald's was VERY
aware and gave no warnings. This must be the evidence of negligence
the jury found.

If you see all the facts in the correct time frame and context the jury
decision seems like common sense.

Just be happy it wasn't YOUR mother or grandmother that was burned.

dennis
in nca

I totally agree. All products should be safe for consumer use, and
the only possible excuse I can see for serving coffee at a dangerous
temperature is that customers wouldn't have to reheat it if taking it
home.

However, almost everyone has a microwave today, so I see little if any
justification for serving coffee at a temperature likely to cause
injury.

Had I been on the jury, they definitely would have been held liable.

Had I been on the jury, Stella would have been chastised for her stupidity, made
to pay MacDonald's court costs, and awarded a COLD cup of coffee.

On 2 Jan 2006 20:04:51 -0800, "rigger" wrote:

per d & c:

rigger wrote:
tg offers:

It's always always always gotta be someone elses fault.


As opposed to NEVER anyone else's fault? You must lead a charmed life.
Wish I did.


dennis
in nca

So if you run your car into a tree, it is the car manufacturers fault?

Only if it's a Pinto and if it erupted in a ball of flame after I got
rear-ended? (Follow me here.) I guess you know what I'm refering to.
Read my lips: McDonalds.......Was......Neglegent.......Period.

Ever hear of contributory negligence? Maybe Stella's behavior contributed to her
problem? Maybe the fact that she was stupid enough to put a cup of hot coffee
between her legs in a moving vehicle had something to do with the fact that she
got burned?

If the manufacturer or business owner is neglegent they can't complain
it was the fault of the person who ran into me because without their
(in this instance Ford's) negligence the outcome wouldn't have been the
same. And this unfortunate lady would not have been burned so badly if
it wasn't for McDonalds negligence.

And she would not have been burned AT ALL if it wasn't for HER action. Why is
she not held responsible for her negligence? Was she not old enough? Was she too
stupid?

Additionally whether this lady was competent in her coffee opening
doesn't enter the equation either. McDonalds also knows (trust me on
this) many of their customers are clumsy or may spill coffee for
various reasons.

Too STUPID? Maybe they didn't see her sign, or she wasn't wearing it. Maybe she
hadn't gotten her sign yet.

I'll bet they even give their trainees leasons in how
to clean-up the mess.

Maybe they need to give their customers lessons in how to wear their "I'M
STUPID" signs so their trainees can see them. :/