I might agree that as a society, the US is too litigious. However, I get a little sick of the McDonalds/Hot Coffee case being trotted out over and over as an example. So in the interest of making a few things clear here are some of the lesser known facts of the case.

* The woman did not spill coffee and go "Ow, that kind of hurt. I'm suing!". She spilled coffee on her lap, and had to have skin grafts on her thighs from 3rd degree burns.

* McDonalds had been told about this problem multiple times by people in multiple locations who had to be treated in burn wards.

* McDonalds refused an offer to settle for 20,000 (the cost of her surgery).

* This woman did not have health insurance, and McDonalds was telling her to fuck off.

* The judge set the award to 4 million, not because he felt like she deserved it, but because at the time that was the amount of profit that the McDonalds corporation pulled in in a single week, and he wanted them to take this seriously.

* After several appeals the award was reduced to 400,000 which McD's covered before breakfast was over.

So yeah, people who sue for emotional damages over a fire alarm are scamming scumbags. But personal injury suits are the only way we have of making sure corporations can't do whatever they want to us, just because they have all the money and we don't.

Sorry about the rant.  ¶ 11:04 AM