The Truth Behind 6 Legendary Lawsuits

There was a good reason to sue over hot coffee
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 10, 2011 6:04 PM CDT
Urban Legends: Three 'Frivolous Lawsuits' That Weren't So Frivolous
Legend has it a woman sued McDonald's over hot coffee.   (Shutterstock)

We’ve all heard the complaints: America is the land of lawsuits, the kind of place that has to label its coffee with “Warning: Hot!” But Cracked takes a second look at the frivolous lawsuits of legend:

  • Woman sues McDonald’s for millions ... because her coffee was hot. The coffee she spilled was hot enough to give her third-degree burns over 6% of her body. And she actually got just $640,000, some of which went to pay for skin grafts. Plus, the jury still called the accident 20% her fault, and reduced the award accordingly.

  • Mom sues school board because daughter got caught giving oral sex on bus. The school suspended the girl—then an investigation showed she’d been forced into it. For failing to report sexual assault, she was suspended again. That’s when mom sued, and included a demand for employee training in how to handle sex assaults.
  • Man sues phone company after drunk driver hit him in phone booth. The facts: The man sued the driver, too, and ended up settling. And he did sue the phone company, but that’s because the door was stuck, trapping him inside—and a car had hit the same booth 20 months before.
Click for the rest of the list. (More frivolous lawsuits stories.)

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