Everyone remembers the Liebeck versus McDonald’s lawsuit.
The case is still a talking point three decades after Stella Liebeck bought a cup of coffee from a McDonald’s drive-thru.
Liebeck was awarded $2.86 million in punitive damages. The amount was later reduced to $640,000.
At the time, Liebeck’s lawsuit begged belief. How could a jury side with a woman who claimed the coffee caused third-degree burns after tipping off onto her thigh? The answer was simple: negligence. The jury held McDonald’s liable for negligence, citing “reckless disregard” for customer safety.
The lawsuit set a precedent for personal injury cases that followed. The funny thing is that the Liebeck lawsuit isn’t the most outrageous personal injury claim against a fast-food chain.
Below, we’ll discuss a few other personal injury claims that warrant their own Crime & Investigation series.
Domino’s 30-Minute Delivery Promise
Domino’s Pizza thought up an ingenious marketing ploy in the 1990s when they guaranteed pizza delivery within 30 minutes or less. The problem with the campaign is that it pressured its employees to deliver the goods within a certain time.
The policy cemented the brand as one of the U.S.’s leading pizza chains. The downside? It nearly destroyed the company’s reputation.
Domino’s immediately put a stop to the guarantee following an incident. A St. Louis woman was injured when a Domino’s driver crashed into her car. The driver ran a red light and hit her, causing a spinal injury after the car accident.
With the help of a St. Louis personal injury lawyer, she filed a lawsuit against the company and was awarded $750,000 in actual damages and $78 million in punitive damages.
McDonalds Sued Again Over Hot Coffee
Yes, you read right. This time it was a New Jersey customer who filed the lawsuit.
According to NJ.com, the man claimed he was injured at the drive-thru window when a McDonald’s employee spilled hot coffee on him.
Court papers stated that the worker was negligent in his actions, causing Joseph Megara “severe injury.” The interior of his vehicle had also been damaged.
Although no amount was given in the lawsuit, Megara is seeking to hold the fast-food giant responsible for serving hot coffee unfit for human consumption.
Like Liebeck, he does have a legal leg to stand on. TorHoerman Law says victims have a right to financial compensation for pain and suffering. All they have to do is establish a connection between their injury and the other person’s negligence.
Wendy’s Finger in a Chili Bowl
Anna Ayala made headlines recently when she was interviewed by the New York Times as part of an article on Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump at the polls. The publication soon issued a correction after finding out who Ayala was.
The convicted fraudster first made her claim to fame in 2005 when she “found a severed finger” in her chili while dining at Wendy’s. Dubbed the “chili finger case,” the incident went global, causing many diners to rethink paying Wendy’s a visit.
As a result, the franchise suffered $21 million in lost business. Ayala was sentenced to nine years in prison and later released on good behavior. One of the conditions of her release is that she never returns to a Wendy’s restaurant.
Arby’s Human Skin Sandwich
It may sound like a scene from a horror movie but it’s what allegedly happened to a patron at Arby’s restaurant in Tipp City.
David Scheiding filed a lawsuit against the fast-food chain after claiming to have found a piece of human skin in his chicken sandwich. According to Scheiding, it was almost an inch long.
The story goes that the restaurant manager cut off a piece of his thumb while chopping lettuce. Guess what was included with the sandwich? Lettuce. He noticed something wasn’t right when he bit into the meal.
Scheiding got sick and went to the loo.
NBC News reported that he initially rejected a settlement offer from restaurant owner GZK Inc. and hit them with a $50,000 lawsuit.
Fast-food chains will forever find themselves as the targets of lawsuits. Sometimes a jury rules in their defense; other times they settle. There’s a thin line between truth and fiction in various cases.
No matter how outrageous the personal injury claim is, when you think you’ve seen it all, another comes along. Who knows, with further digging, Wendy’s finger in the chili bowl case might not be the most bizarre yet.
If you find yourself having to file a claim, enlist the help of an experienced personal injury attorney.
