McDonald’s faces another hot coffee commercial litigation lawsuit

Category: Commercial Litigation

It Is Essential For A Business To Maintain The Safety Of Its Work Environment For Its Employees As Well As Its Customers.

This can be particularly important for a fast food business in Michigan or any other state. These businesses can be sued by those who are injured by negligent acts of a company’s staff even if the owners of the business did not personally do anything wrong. McDonald’s seems to be experiencing this in a recent commercial litigation case filed by a customer.

The woman claims she was badly burnt by a hot coffee beverage which she was served at a McDonald’s location. The incident happened in January 2012 after the woman had ordered a hot coffee beverage at a drive-through at a McDonald’s location. She claims that she was served the hot beverage without the lid being properly secured. This caused the lid to come off which allegedly resulted in the hot liquid being spilled on to the woman.

The woman claims this resulted in her sustaining injuries. However, her legal complaint filed with the court does not specify exactly what injuries she may have allegedly suffered. This latest lawsuit follows another famous lawsuit two decades ago, which was filed after a woman suffered burns after having coffee spill on her at a McDonald’s location. The woman who filed the first hot coffee lawsuit against the fast food chain was initially awarded $2.9 million, but a judge later reduced this amount to $640,000.

Just like any other commercial litigation lawsuit in Michigan or any other state, McDonald’s will also have the opportunity to defend itself in the court of law against the allegations. There could be a variety of defenses the restaurant chain could utilize when crafting its legal defense arguments. However, when designing its legal defense strategy it will be necessary to have a complete understanding of the applicable laws.

Source: Business Insider, McDonald’s Is Getting Sued Again Over Alleged Hot Coffee Burns, Hayley Peterson, Jan. 10, 2014

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