h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The story of the woman burned by McD's coffee is often used to decry the modern legal system, here's a few facts that many people don't know:

1) the woman who was injured ("burn-ee") required 4 skin grafts to her vaginal labia and inner thigh because the hose she was wearing was made of nylon and melted through her underware and adhered to her skin destroying it.

2) That very McD's had gotten over 300 complaints that year regarding their too-hot coffee.

3) the told the McD corp about the coffee maker's temp and were told that it was safe, despite the complaints, despite violating the industry standard for safe temperatures

4) the $28 million verdict was reduced to just over $300,000 because the judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence for punative damages because of her participation in the injury. Of that amount the burn-ee recieved about $50,000 because her insurance co. claimed the rest for its cost for paying her insurance bill and it cost her lawyer $50,000 (NOT including his fee) to bring the case to court.

*getting off his soapbox*
Sorry for the disturbance, I'm normally not a pest, but that woman went through enough disfigurment without our piling on it by using her as a bad example.

Friar

Actually I got almost all my number's wrong. Look here for the real data:

A429950 written by our own Jim Lynn U6

OK. Modified.