The 79 year old lady in question went though the drive-in and opened her coffee in the car. It spilled in her lap causing third degree burns to her genitals. She was hospitalized for more than a week and suffered surgeries for skin graftings, followed by two years of medical treatment. She eventually sued McDonalds.
Some interesting things that came out during discovery:
1- McDonalds maintained their coffee at least 20 degrees hotter than anyone else in the industry. This higher than normal temperature was what changed what would have been an painful annoyance into third degree burns requiring surgery The reason McDonalds ostensibly gave was that the higher temperature produced a more robust flavor. However it came out that it was intentionally kept super hot so customers would be more unlikely to request free refills.
2- McDonalds had had many complaints about their super-hot coffee before, so many that their lawyers advised them to put a "Caution - Hot" warning on the cup. But MvcDonalds higher-ups didn't like that idea so they instead had the warning put on the cups in minuscule letters on the top where it was unlikely to be noticed.
3- The lady only initially sued McDonalds for her medical costs, somewhere around $20,000 if memory serves. McDonalds refused. When it finally went to a jury and all the facts came out the jury awarded her compensatory and punitive damages for some $2.86 million dollars. This was later reduced on appeal to $680,000. The parties then reached a confidential settlement.
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