You've probably heard of the famous case where the elderly lady, Stella Liebeck, spilled hot coffee from McDonald's in her lap, sued, and ended up with a huge settlement. The case has been the butt of jokes for years, but there is actually a very interesting and little known story that goes along with it.
The New York Times recently ran a story about the famous case in its Retro Report that shows that this was, in fact, more than just a money grab from a sue-happy consumer. It's a pretty interesting read if you have a few minutes. If you prefer your stories in video form, there's also an accompanying video (above).
I was watching the video just because it interested me, but ended up being surprised when the daughter of Stella Liebeck brought Toby Keith into the conversation. Seems Ms. Liebeck's daughter has a problem with Toby's song American Ride and the lyric in it that says: Spill a cup of coffee, make a million dollars.
I like Toby Keith but he did the American Ride. Do we have to keep living this over and over and over again?
I don't think Toby Keith really cares if he offends anyone with his song lyrics, but since American Ride is now four years old and Stella passed away in 2004, I'm pretty sure this is one offense that will probably go without an apology, even if Toby happened to have a bit of remorse about the song.
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America still feels the same-clumsy old lady spilled coffee on herself and caused her burns then sued and made millions-she did it to herself. The fact that she was parked makes her even more incompetent!
Normandy, you are incompetent. Clearly you have only read headlines and are misinformed. She wasn’t clumsy. She wasn’t driving. She wasn’t even in the drivers seat. And the car wasn’t moving. But you wouldn’t know those facts. She also didn’t sue for millions. She initially asked McDonald’s to pay her medical bills (a few thousand dollars) and they refused. They had hundreds of previous complaints about scalding coffee that was so hot (180+ degrees), it dissolves the stryofoam cup, causing 3rd degree burns in under a minute. So a reasonable jury decided a few days of coffee sale profits from McDonalds would teach them a lesson. She never asked for that large an award. Next time you decide to comment and call someone incompetent do yourself and everyone else a favor and know what you are talking about first.
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