Which lawsuit is widely known as the McDonald's hot coffee case?

The lawsuit widely known as the McDonald’s hot coffee case was Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants.

The case began after Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old customer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, spilled McDonald’s coffee in 1992 and suffered severe burns, including third-degree burns requiring skin grafts and an eight-day hospital stay. She initially sought compensation for medical expenses, but settlement discussions failed and the dispute went to trial in 1994.

A jury found McDonald’s 80% responsible and Liebeck 20% responsible. It awarded $200,000 in compensatory damages, reduced to $160,000, plus $2.7 million in punitive damages. The judge reduced the punitive award, and the parties later reached a confidential settlement before the appeal was decided.

The case is often simplified as a frivolous lawsuit, but that popular version leaves out the seriousness of Liebeck’s injuries, the coffee’s unusually high serving temperature, and evidence that McDonald’s had received many earlier burn complaints. “McLibel” was a separate British defamation case involving environmental campaigners.