Marbury v. Madison, Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade? Ask anyone in the U.S. or abroad and they will likely tell you about a woman who spilled coffee on herself and collected millions of dollars. The McDonald’s coffee case became the poster child for frivolous lawsuits in America. Jerry Seinfeld did an entire episode where Kramer sued Java World after spilling a café latté on himself while trying to get a seat in a movie theater. Jay Leno, David Letterman and other comedians have made the case the punch line for jokes; there are even the “Stella Awards” (for Stella Liebeck), given each year to the most outrageous and frivolous lawsuits. But if this case was so ridiculous, why did a jury award $2.9 million dollars to this 79 year old after a seven-day trial in 1994? Did McDonald’s not have good lawyers? And how did this case gain such notoriety and remain in the minds of so many people after so many years?
The McDonald’s coffee case has been routinely cited by the media as an example of how citizens have taken advantage of the legal system. In this documentary, you will learn what really happened to Stella, meet her grandson, who was driving the car, and hear from her doctor, the lawyers, McDonald’s quality assurance manager, and the jurors. Was the media’s portrayal of this case fair or was there an agenda by tort-reform groups to create a public perception that lawsuits were out of control. How did it become the poster child for tort reform, what is tort reform and how does it affect everyday Americans?
We will show how this case became so popular in the media (along with other examples of “frivolous” lawsuits), who funded the effort and to what end. We will interview political scientists, law school professors and consumer advocates who have spent years analyzing media coverage of the tort system and who controlled the message. We will show how the media was used and continues to be used for a political agenda to prevent access to the court system and immunize corporations from civil liability. We will educate the audience about caps on the amount of money that victims can receive in court in most states, how the federal government has enacted laws to prevent people from their day in court, and how the small print on credit card and real estate contracts, for example, prevent people from being able to get into the court system, denying access to justice. We will explore judicial races in states where tort reform measures have passed and then were later found unconstitutional by the State’s Supreme Courts. In many of these states there were major public relations campaigns established by tort reform groups to unseat pro-consumer justices and replace them with pro-business justices. We will interview representatives from the American Tort Reform Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (who even recently started a new website called “Faces of Lawsuit Abuse”) and even Phillip Morris, to find out what their involvement was in keeping this story alive and the motivations behind it.
We will let the audience decide who really profited from spilling hot coffee.
19 Comments
January 30, 2010 at 6:43 pm
Dear Susan,
I found McDonalds and discussion of the issues immediately, though it took me maybe 3 minutes to find this website. Links between this website and some of the justice sites that I got to earlier would be a great idea to drive traffic to this site.
Thanks for helping to correct a great misconception.
Peter Sage
January 26, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Can’t wait to see this movie. Sounds like you have a great plan. I hope that your movie changes the legal landscape for consumers.
January 24, 2010 at 9:13 am
Good Post. Can you email me back, please. Thanks so much.
January 16, 2010 at 3:41 am
That is not true or?
January 10, 2010 at 9:49 am
Susan, Great idea. The damned insurance lobby had won the war the last 20 years and the masses do not understand how much of their basic rights have been eroded……until they are hurt of course. Can’t wait to see final work. Stay in touch. We need strong voices to counter the disception afoot. David
December 11, 2009 at 10:52 am
Since learning some of the actual facts behind this case a few years back, every time someone spouts off the popular lies about it I’m filled with disgust. The really awful part is how those lies are told in a way that specifically berates Ms. Liebeck’s intelligence, common sense, and judgment. I can’t imagine how I would feel if the whole world spoke of my own mother or grandmother with such hateful, gleeful mockery. How happy I am to accidentally come across this website today, and to see the truth being broadcast about this case. Thanks so much for making this happen.
November 22, 2009 at 8:49 pm
I’ve been involved in taxations for longer then I care to admit, both on the individual side (all my working life!!) and from a legal stand since satisfying the bar and following tax law. I’ve offered a lot of advice and redressed a lot of wrongs, and I must say that what you’ve posted makes utter sense. Please uphold the good work – the more people know the better they’ll be equipped to cope with the tax man, and that’s what it’s all about.
November 22, 2009 at 4:05 pm
This is a great movie- I have recommended it to everyone I know. Good luck with the rest of production. I know you will be a success at the Independent Film Production festival next fall!
November 22, 2009 at 3:39 pm
This movie is a must see for everyone who truly seeks to know the truth, and understand the American Civil Justice system. Our failure as a society to really teach how our legal system works has led us to the point of almost loosing the very freedoms men have fought for since the beginning of time.
October 25, 2009 at 6:09 pm
it was great meeting you and seeing the trailer at the NACA conference in Philly. Good luck with the film. It’s a hugely important project.
August 27, 2009 at 8:19 pm
I, like so many of my colleagues, previously represented insurance companies. After absorbing so much of the hypocrisy and deceit, I became dedicated to represent those who must hire an attorney in order to obtain equitable treatment of their claims.
I’ll be looking for your information.
August 12, 2009 at 11:54 am
Great job Susan and crew, hope you continue to explore this great topic. Having started my career in California at a Personal Injury firm, I know how recovery caps would have left our clients, one in particular with severe burns, totally without adequate legal remedy. I can’t wait to see the full length feature.
August 12, 2009 at 9:13 am
FANTASTIC!!!!
If you ONLY knew how often we trial lawyers use the McDonalds case i n Vore Dire. Almost always.
Good luck on your endeavors. I have forwarded this to friends hoping to assist with your fundraising efforts and I inted to blog and Twitter about it.
Good luck-
August 12, 2009 at 9:36 am
Thanks, Gabrielle. Spreading the word is the only way it will get finished. The plan is a feature length documentary to be shown at film festivals, theaters and eventually TV, like PBS or HBO.
August 10, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Beautiful, deep, thought provoking, important. Thank you for protecting our rights. I can’t wait to see the full length movie! Yasher koach!!
August 1, 2009 at 9:21 am
Dear Susan: Good seeing you at thr AAJ Meeting last week. Can’t wait to see the movie. Any trailers out yet?
Paul
August 4, 2009 at 10:36 am
Dear Paul:
We hope to put up a trailer in the next few days. The movie won’t be done for another year. We are still trying to raise the money to make the rest of it. Please consider a tax-deductible donation.
Thanks.
Susan
July 30, 2009 at 9:20 am
Please send me information as to when this film is available for purchase. Thanks for telling the truth.
July 31, 2009 at 9:10 am
We have made a short of the documentary that is in rough cut that we are using to raise money to finish the film. We expect to finish next year and submit to Sundance in September 2010. Hopefully, it will be ready for distribution in early 2011. If you would like to see this film finished and distributed, please consider a donation and click the DONATE NOW button. Thanks. Susan