Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants, also known as the
McDonald's coffee case and
the hot coffee lawsuit, was a 1994
product liability lawsuit that became a flashpoint in the debate in the
United States over
tort reform. A
New Mexico civil jury awarded $2.86 million to plaintiff Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman who suffered third-degree burns in her pelvic region when she accidentally spilled hot
coffee in her lap after purchasing it from a
McDonald's restaurant. Liebeck was hospitalized for eight days while she underwent
skin grafting, followed by two years of medical treatment.