McDonald's Coffee Lawsuit's 30th Anniversary Commemorated With New Hot Coffee Lawsuit

It has been around 30 years since a woman was infamously scalded by hot coffee from McDonald's, and, now like, clockwork, it's all happening again.

Stella Liebeck of Albuquerque, New Mexico famously sued the fast food giant after spilling scalding hot coffee on herself in 1992. The lawsuit was widely mocked and lampooned in an episode of Seinfeld. However, Liebeck got the last laugh when she was awarded $2.7 million in 1994.

Now, just over 30 years later, McD's is facing another hot coffee lawsuit.

Mabel Childress, an elderly woman in San Francisco, reportedly received nasty injuries after spilling hot coffee on herself. Her lawsuit says that this was due to a poorly fitted lid. She claims that when she went to workers at that particular Golden Arches for help, they did nothing.

"The lawsuit Mable filed is important as it her hope that coffee served in the future will be served at a proper temperature, the lids be placed properly and securely and that when future customers have complaints — they will be attended to promptly," Childress' attorney Dylan Hackett told Fox Business in an email.

It's easy to scoff at lawsuits like this, but I'll tell you what, I can understand how it could happen.

This man appears to be waiting for that coffee of his to cool down enough to take a sip. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

McDonald's Coffee Comes Out Of The Machine Ready To Melt Some Faces

Full Disclosure: I like McDonald's coffee. It's always good from the restaurant, but I've also got a can of it in my cabinet right now and drink it every morning. Sometimes I like to give myself the full McD's experience at home. I'll forget to hit the "Brew" button on the coffee machine. That makes me go back to the counter about 10 minutes later all like, "Where the hell is my coffee?" just like at a real McDonald's.

As much as I like the taste, for whatever reason, I've gotten many cups of coffee that feel like they were brewed in a nuclear reactor. I appreciate this to a degree. Coffee temperatures are weird. Hot coffee is good, iced coffee is good, but room-temperature coffee is like drinking poison.

I appreciate that McD's is on the extremely hot end of the spectrum. That said, but I don't like that I sometimes have to wait so long to touch it that my morning coffee turns into afternoon tea or even a nightcap.

Maybe it's my fault because I drink it black (like an adult). Those of us who tip back black coffee don't throw in any cream to curb the bitter taste. Stuff like that can also help to regulate the temperature ever so slightly. No. We get it surface of the sun hot and deal with it. We live on the edge. Like Evel Knievel with red eyes and morning breath.

So, when you're playing with coffee that's hot enough to have been spewed out of Krakatoa, I can see how one alleged ill-affixed lid could cause some serious pain.

Who knows how this whole situation works out for Mrs. Childress, but hopefully she's on the mend as we speak.

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