Putting things in perspective: McDonald's and the $2.9-million cup of coffee; juries may have good reason for making large awards to plaintiffs in product-liability cases; in truth, however, defendants usually win. (Product Liability).

Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly,  June, 2002  by Linda K. Enghagen

Tags: husband, lawsuit, McDonald's Corp.

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Court cases like the following ones often make the news. Veronica Martin and her husband sued McDonald's because she suffered burns on her chin when a pickle fell from the hamburger she was eating. The lawsuit asked for $110,000 for Mrs. Martin (to compensate for lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering) plus $15,000 for her husband (for loss of consortium).

(1) Even more famously, McDonald's encountered a similar lawsuit when a customer sued when she spilled hot coffee in her lap and was burned. In this case, a jury returned a $2.9-million verdict against McDonalds. (2) It's no ...