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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 7-page paper discusses the ethics of the case of McDonald's and Stella Liebeck, who spilled hot McDonald's coffee in her lap and received a huge award from the jury.
Page Count:
7 pages (~225 words per page)
File: AS43_MTcoffethi.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
burned herself by spilling a hot cup of coffee shed bought at a McDonalds drive-through. After filing suit against the company, she received $160,000 in compensatory damages and $2.7 million
in punitive damages. Though the trial judge reduced the punitive damages to $480,000, his belief was that McDonalds conduct was "willful, wanton, reckless and callous." Is hot coffee so
dangerous, as the jury thought? Should a reasonable consumer be expected to know that coffee can burn and to have assumed this risk? Is a warning label sufficient? Is our
society too protective of consumers these days, or not protective enough? Hot coffee is - well, its hot. It can burn if
it is spilled (or can burn a tongue if drunk too quickly). Everyone is aware that "hot" can be "dangerous." Even a toddler who sticks his hand in the oven
understands this concept. As with anything that can be dangerous, care needs to be taken to ensure that it doesnt injure.
One could argue the fact that McDonalds 185-degree coffee is probably hotter than the average coffee, however, most people who buy coffee understand that it will be hot, that it
will burn if they drink it too fast, and the best way to ensure they wont be injured is to wait for the coffee to cool a little. The problem
with warning labels is that the people who need to read them dont. In the case of Liebeck, she attempted to put the cup of coffee between her legs and
pry off the lid - in a car. No warning label would have prevented this type of action. In answer to the
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