The McDonald’s Hot Coffee Lawsuit America laughed until the truth came out

She Sued McDonald’s for Hot Coffee and Became a Joke

She spilled coffee on herself and sued McDonald’s for millions.

America laughed.

Then they learned what the coffee actually did to her body.

Albuquerque, New Mexico. February 27, 1992

Stella Liebeck was 79 years old.

She sat in the passenger seat of her grandson’s car in a McDonald’s parking lot after going through the drive thru. Before they drove away, she wanted to add cream and sugar to her coffee.

She placed the Styrofoam cup between her knees and tried to remove the lid.

The cup tipped.

Coffee poured into her lap.

This Was Not a Normal Spill

What happened next was not a minor accident.

McDonald’s served its coffee at temperatures between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to cause third degree burns in seconds.

Stella’s cotton sweatpants absorbed the liquid and held it against her skin.

The coffee did not just burn her.

It destroyed her flesh.

The Injuries No One Wanted to Talk About

Stella suffered third degree burns over about six percent of her body, including her inner thighs, groin, and buttocks. Another sixteen percent suffered second degree burns.

Her skin came off in sheets.

She was rushed to the hospital screaming in pain.

Doctors performed skin grafts. She spent eight days hospitalized and endured weeks of debridement, a process where dead tissue is cut away to prevent infection.

She was left permanently scarred and partially disabled for the rest of her life.

What Stella Actually Asked For

Stella did not ask for millions.

She asked McDonald’s to cover her medical bills and lost income.

The amount was about $20,000.

McDonald’s offered her $800.

Eight hundred dollars for catastrophic burns and permanent injuries.

That is when she hired a lawyer.

What the Trial Revealed

In court, the story changed.

Jurors learned that McDonald’s had received over 700 prior complaints of people being burned by its coffee.

Internal documents showed the company knew its coffee was dangerously hot.

Executives admitted the temperature was intentional. The coffee was kept hot so customers would still have hot coffee by the time they reached work or home.

McDonald’s knew people were being burned.

They chose not to change anything.

The Jury’s Verdict: McDonald's Hot Coffee Lawsuit

In 1994, the jury found McDonald’s 80 percent responsible and Stella 20 percent responsible.

They awarded her about $200,000 in compensatory damages, reduced to $160,000 due to shared fault.

Then they awarded $2.7 million in punitive damages, roughly equal to two days of McDonald’s coffee sales at the time.

The judge later reduced the punitive damages.

The case was eventually settled for a confidential amount believed to be far less than the jury’s award.

Stella never became rich.

How the Story Was Turned Into a Joke

The media ignored the injuries.

Headlines mocked the lawsuit.

Late night comedians turned Stella into a punchline.

“A woman spilled coffee on herself and got millions.”

That became the story.

Not the burns. Not the skin grafts. Not the 700 ignored complaints. Not the $800 offer.

Why This Case Still Matters

Stella Liebeck died in 2004 at the age of 91.

She never wanted attention.

But her case forced companies to reconsider dangerous practices and became a textbook example of how public perception can be manipulated.

She was not greedy.

She was not careless.

She was catastrophically injured by a corporation that knew better and did nothing.

The Truth People Still Get Wrong

Stella Liebeck did not sue because coffee was hot.

She sued because McDonald’s knowingly served coffee at temperatures capable of causing severe burns in seconds and ignored hundreds of prior injuries.

She asked for $20,000.

They offered $800.

And America laughed at her for suing.

Remember Her Name

The next time someone jokes about the McDonald’s coffee lawsuit, tell them the truth.

Tell them about the burns.

Tell them about the ignored warnings.

Tell them about Stella Liebeck.

She deserves to be remembered not as a punchline, but as one of the most misunderstood victims of corporate negligence in American history.