Obviously the general public got the wrong idea about the Liebeck coffee case, but that doesn't change the fact that plantiff's attorney's are bleeding the society dry with illegitimate and over-stated claims. Its fine to put the hot coffee myth to rest, but don't act like frivolous lawsuits aren't needlessly jacking up the cost of insurance on doctors, small business, etc. Schools are afraid to have playgrounds now for crying out loud because a kid might fall down and break their arm.
@TheBullionBull I am a lawyer, I see a lot of people try to bring frivolous lawsuits, but such suits are very expensive to litigate and most lawyers dont want to take a case they will lose. By the time cases make it to trial, I assure you, very few are frivolous. In addition, when frivolous lawsuits are brought, it is because the law ALLOWS them and REWARDS plaintiffs with big settlements- this is up to the lawmakers to reform the laws to PREVENT this. I wonder why they dont
A lot of you have commented against the "frivolous" lawsuits, so I am only guessing that this trailer is as far as you got. You need reserve your judgement until you have watched the whole documentary.
Oh those poor corporations who have...um, insurance! Thats who really fronts the bill, so who cares if a lawsuit is considered a bit frivolous. Whether its plaintiff or defense it has less to do with justice and more to do with the " gamble of the game."
Thank-you HBO for this documentary....before then I bought into the propaganda and thought Liebecks Hot Coffee lawsuit was frivolous after seeing this documentary which showed the pictures of her third degree burns. I will rethink voting for any judge or politician pushing for limiting people rights to be fully compensated for the damage they have sustained.
Well our legal system here in the UK is nothing more than a joke; it's nice to know that in the US there is still some justice left. A horrific accident when 4 washing machines fell 2 of which hit my wife the washing machines fell from 30 ft. It happen in 2003 and she is still waiting for her compensation, Google, bad accident at Costco's
@SuperGuitarman69 Those poor, put-upon corporations, being hit with all those vaguely-defined frivolous lawsuits we read about in our inboxes almost daily. And their only crime is making unsafe products. Where's the justice anymore? =(
Really enlightening to hear this (honest) perspective. There really is a widespread notion that "frivolous" lawsuits and tort law are unfair to business. That is nonsense. The 7th amendment guarantees access to courts. Corps want to deteriorate that right. Corps are coming at our rights from every angle.
@artistbeinghuman This is a complete and utter lie.. What tort reform does is it makes the party doing the suing responsible for all costs incurred by the defendant if the plaintiff loses.. The problem with frivolous law suits is that it costs sometimes 100's of thousands of dollars for companies to defend them, no matter guilt.. Over 85% of these lawsuits are in the favor of the defendant (company).. There is NO recourse in which the company can be compensated for Part 1
@SuperGuitarman69 It's beliefs like yours which make movies like this so absolutely necessary. Do your homework. Corporations are buying the judicial system, and chipping away at your rights with a sledgehammer.
I've heard of many stories about people suing for the most ridiculous things, it is unimaginable. But rather than blaming it on the people that is suing, I also blame it more on the judge to let these people win the case.
Republicans say: I'm smart enough to not to _insert _reason_for_tort_litigation_here. But the sad fact is the ignorant sheeple herded by the "conservative masterminds" are often the victims of torts. Real, smart people see through the media shenanigans.
American Republican say: WHAT?! There is lead in my baby's toys?! Chinaman say: I thought you were smart enough to read the ingredient lists that are CLEARLY written in Chinese. WHAT? you dont' know Chinese?!
check out the movie, there youll see the pics of her burns and skin-grafts its awful! i thought this story was ridiculous when i heard it. i even thought it was made up but its not and she fucking deserved that money! so fuck bush for damage caps!
also a women was raped by halliburton employees and then incarcerated. no trial cuz of a mandatory arbitration clause. fuck halliburton and the chamber of commerce!!!
I SAY THAT DUMB BITCH DIDNT DESERVE THAT MONEY SHE WAS SO STUPID SHE DIDNT REALIZE THE COFFEE WAS HOT AND HOW DOES ANYBODY KNOW SHE DIDNT POUR THAT COFFEE ON HERSELF JUST TO GET THE MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!
@moltacfirewind1 Because they are 'useful idiots' who want to believe anything if it means corporations are evil. They aren't the brightest crayons in the box.
@moltacfirewind1: 3rd degree burns. Skin grafts. 2 years worth of recovery. She didn't get millions, she got less half a million, and pretty much all of that was for medical bills. The coffee was 190F. The coffee you brew at home is 120F. Water boils at 212F and your radiator, after driving home, is usually around 180F-200F. But don't let facts get the in the way of your ignorance.
IF YOU SPILL HOT COFFEE ON YOURSELF ITS YOUR OWN DAMN FAULT AND NOT THE RESTAURANTS. Are you going to sue the car company too because the cup holders weren't good enough. Or maybe the road company because the roads were too bumpy and it cause your coffee to spill. Its ridiculous
@smdho actually i shall sue my car company because i got in an accident and it was my fault, and should i also sue them because i didnt know how to turn on the AC like a dumb ass on a hot day? (sarcasm)
@smdho The road company..brilliant!! What if the "road company" had been warned 700 times about their roads and and did nothing and then your family member was badly injured because of the roads??? Let the government take away others rights and soon they are taking yours my friend.
It's beyond obvious that politicians do the bidding of big money. This is why voting is such a charade. It's basically an issue of which errand boy you want in office. Folks, we live in a feudal society, no doubt about it.
Gotta love the insurance companies. Here in Florida, years ago, they passed medical malpractice caps. They promised that healthcare costs, health insurance, etc. would go down. I live in Florida, healthcare costs have not gone down. All it did was line the insurance companies pockets with millions in more dollars - plain and simple - harm citizens and make the insurance companies richer. That's not the American way.
I still think the coffee lawsuit was BS. According to the National Coffee Association of USA, coffee should be brewed at temperatures between 195 and 205 degrees, then served immediately. Her coffee was 190 degrees. Coffee should be HOT. If you spill it on yourself you get burned badly. Did McDonald's give her a faulty cup or did she simply spill a hot cup of coffee?
@NoahALanger What was NOT BS were her injuries. The documentary shows photographs taken of the woman in the hospital. I have seldom seen such horrible & distasteful burn injuries--and I used to work in the medical field!The incident was presented as just one of the examples of the GOP-conservative deliberate and broad-based effort to deny people's access to the US justice system--to hammer home the memes of "frivolus lawsuits" or "torn reform." See the DVD.
@aikido7 I agree completely. Yeah it sounds silly and yeah it was a bit crazy for her to put between her legs but given that they weren't moving I can see why she did that. No cup holders in the old car. It becomes less frivolous when you have to pay those hospital bills! Also companies/corporations need to be accountable for the crap they make and sell the public.
@squreshi10: No, it was 190 fahrenheit. Water boils at 212 fahrenheit. 190 celsius would around 340 fahrenheit, I believe. If the coffee was that hot, it would melt the cups.
@JejunumJake You're probably basing your opinion on a younger persons skin.
What you have to realise is that elderly citizens do not have the same skin they had in their younger days.
Over the age of 65, skin becomes paper thin and is easy to rip or burn. Even worse, if they have had several medications for prolonged periods, their skin deteriorates faster.
Having seen many elderly people in hospitals with burns, I can say that the "extent" of her burns did not surprise me.
People and there lawsuits in this country are out of control, whether this film says they are or not. There are cases where lawsuits are needed, 95% of the time they are not.
@Patbow25 How do you arrive at your numbers? The corporations DEFINITELY want to discourage personal lawsuits if they affect the bottom line. All I can say is see the DVD. Unless you are the type of person who has their mind already made up regardless of the evidence, facts and data.
It should come as no surprise that business interests are finally fighting back against several decades of the expanding concept (to the point of absurd) of tort liability, particularly, products liability, that we have the trial lawyers and their friends on the bench to thank for. The trial lawyers have been playing the lobbying game for decades; they cannot be heard to complain that business interests are doing the same.
Control the information and you control the people. This is why I watch news on the internet from independent sources. I try to do my own research if someone really gets my interest, but at this point I'd rather be at the mercy of misinformation from one person than from corporate media.
the movie never discusses the real cost, if any, of real frivilous law suits. It never even discusses frivilous law suits. Just the exeptions to the rule. How can we take anything from the movie with such an obvious part of it left out.
@TheKermit3131 Good point. It acts as if there are no such things as frivilous lawsuits. I personally still believe the McDonalds case was frivilous. Had she made that coffee at home and burned herself who would she have sued? Folgers? Mr Coffee? If feel bad for her injuries but just because you've been hurt doesn't mean you're a victim. I've seen the burns and it's horrid but it doesn't make her a victim of injustice.
@kbr7171. You need to watch this to understand the how's and why's of the case. There were 700 burn victims from the McDonalds coffee before she was burned. The coffee was 180-190dg when served. Thats 70dg hotter than when you make coffee at home. The injustice was that McD's knew this was a problem and did nothing to fix it. She initially sued for the $ medicare didn't cover and to get McD's to change the cup lid. The jury awarded her the 2.5mil. Hardly meets the "frivolous" tag.
@TheKermit3131 Because "frivilous law suits" [sic] constitute a minuscule fraction of the actual lawsuits that go to court. As this movie reveals, what the conglomerations have done is successfully brainwashed you into believing that they are besieged on all fronts by crackpots with fake cases, when in fact next to all of the cases that make it to court are based on serious corporate negligence.
The campaign by special interests to make sure Justice DIaz DID NOT sit on that bench was truly APPALLING. There is nothing these people won't do. And the worst of it is that THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME ACROSS AMERICA.. What a nightmare.
I've carried the facts of the Liebeck case with me in my briefcase every day for many years, so as to be able to rebut any false aspersions about a "jackpot" won.
Ms. Liebeck never collected the $2.9million because McDonalds was found on appeal not to be at fault. A much smaller award fit their local franchisee, which had served the coffee far hotter than McDonalds standards. (In fact, McDonalds had penalized the franchisee previously for that). So Ms. Liebeck got some justice but not much!
PLEASE share this movie with EVERYONE. Americans need to see this and the way that we have been LIED to and how our Constitutional rights are be taken away from us!!!
. . . and the reason McDonald's brews their coffee at just under boiling temperatures? . . . to get more coffee out of the beans and therefore make more money!
Just as a cigarette has a warning that says "may cause cancer" its very logical that the coffee should have had a warning that said caution 180 degrees and may cause third degree burns(!!) I certainly would never hold it my lap if I knew that. I am enraged that I didn't know the whole story about this.
@MamoDad It just goes to show how the rich buy the media, buy judges to have laws changed against the middle class and how middle class republicans have been fooled. Wyoming also started the snow ball affect against union cities of america in order to get the union's out and use the new mandatory arbitration clauses which u r required to sign if you want a JOB. Something bad happens u go to an company paid arbitrator who owes his JOB to the company w/ 1 out of 100 chances of prevailing.
@provostg Maybe you should know the facts of the case. She was 79 years old, and had HUGE severe 2nd and 3rd degree burns to her legs which required multiple skin grafts. Yes, at times they didn't think she'd live through the surgeries.
Since when were media "truth tellers"? It's always been about the story. Try going to colleges that produce the ways of thinking of our media and protest. In my long life I have had 2 situations where my thoughts were on TV (interviewing random in Boston). Both times they put my response to something I wasn't asked and completely used it out of context. Both times I was told it "must have been a slight oversight". Bullshit, it's about taking the media you have and making the most of it. Truth?Ha
Watched it tonight, I want to spread it as much as possible now. This is a documentary every American needs to see to fully understand what really goes on in politics.
A must see documentary. Watch how the rights put in place by the creators of our Constitution to protect the citizens of the USA are being bought and sold by politicians and big business interest. The Chamber of Commerce’s marketing machine along with others misinforms and persuades the public and chips away at our rights until one day our day in court will be a thing of the past.
The first nations were ruled by religions and monarchs. Later on nations were ruled by social democracies and elected officials. Now nations are ruled by corporations and plutocrats.
We all only have ourselves to blame for the state of big corporations and government corruption and until people stop being brainwashed sheep, which history shows is almost never, it is only going to get worse. Big corps act as if they are their own countries with their own rules, deny, lie, if that does not work manipulate and corrupt. All comes down to us and the choices we make, who and what we choose to support, the kind of lifestyle we live and want.... wake up.
@clnmyjts -- You know a better question to ask? Confidentiality agreements mean NEITHER party can speak publically about it. How did it become public knowledge in the first place? Seems to me that someone at McDonalds broke the agreement, but the lady certainly never did. The only side of the story we ever heard was McD's. And I am ashamed that I laughed at this case. I should have known that the jury had all the details, and we were only being told what someone else wanted to tell us.
OMFG a movie about the stupid american law system where every idiot sues every company because of beeing stupid. Coffee is made of hot water as far as I know. Water boils at 100 degrees (Celsius). If you drink your coffee like orange juice you are an idiot.
You know here in Europe everyone laughs about those people who sue car companys because nobody told them an automatic shifted car doesn't have an autopilot function
@Willey1986 Is there anything more ironic than misspelling "beeing stupid"? LOL. Like a bumblebee! And oh yeah it's companies not "companys." It appears you were home-schooled, are a moron, or both. Please do us all a favor and learn to spell before you try to impress us with your intellect.
@sjking1188 "It appears you were home-shooled"....... Are you trying to inferr that being homeschooled = illteracy 100%? You just blew your whole arguement out of the water by being ignorant. I know some kids who are home taught and they're way smarter than the average public school kid. You get good spellers and bad spellers in every form of education and it's not always a reflection of their intellect, ask any dyslexic person. Your words were offensive and narrow minded.
@Willey1986 Obviously, you are judging movie you have not seen. Hopefully, you will see it one day and feel ashamed over what you just said. (And the whole movie is NOT about the McDonalds coffee case)
@Willey1986 "You know here in Europe..." That's the start of a pompous self-righteous statement coming from an idiot. There are just as many idiots in Europe as there are in the rest of the world. You're proving my point.
There's a story to everything and it's nitwits like you who put your hands over your ears and shout LALALALA when it's trying to be told. Watch the friggin movie.
@Willey1986 -- The coffee was at 190 degrees, not 100 degrees. She received third degree burns and had to have several skin grafting operations to repair the damage, and she never fully recovered. McD had over 700 complaints of serious burns from their coffee, and they had had those complaints for YEARS before this 79 year old woman got burned. Hey, listen, Eurotrash, while MY country is bailing YOUR country out for YOUR COUNTRY'S financial misdeads, why don't you do us all a favor and STFU!
I saw Susan Saladoff on MSNBC today. The trailer is an eyeopener , but don't prejudge the case for you hear the story. Hot Coffee is the movie. Be open minded.
It is such a sad state for our country, that our media are no longer "truth tellers." Instead of being run for the benefit of the people, it is being run for the benefit of the huge corporations who have also taken over our government.
@jihf this is why we must rely on documentaries that, at least, give a bigger chunk of a story (whether leaned one way or another). Media is so bore down that its simplified to the point of idiocy! Quick punching headlines is all they want, and those can be manufactured by corporations for money or otherwise.
I prefer to get my information from investigative documentarians than a news station that is owned by one of the largest corporations in the world.
@jihf you sound like one of those hippies on that one south park episode, complaining about corporations taking over the world and having no basis for this. I would hate to live in a world without mcdonalds and they have money, so what?? you are only jealous that the heads of mcdonalds were successful in life and didnt become stoner hippies like yourself. you are ridiculous
Yep. But what's even more sad to me, is that we let them do it. There's still a large portion of our country, even the more liberal ones, that consent to it, and even support some of it.
The true victims of the civil lawsuit system are not Ms. Liebeck. The true wolves are not McDonalds. We are all in this together--the American people. The number of lawyers per capita in the USA is 7-fold higher than in the comparable nations of Europe such as Germany, the Netherlands, with similiar lifestyles and incomes. The Chancellor of Germany (Angela Merkel is a physicist (Ph.D.)). Most of the recent Presidents of the USA are freakin LAWYERS! (notable exceptions are Reagan and Carter)
@antonscottgoustin You haven't actually made a discernible point. Ok there's a lot of lawyers in America, but you never explained how that was a problem. The true victims aren't Ms. Liebeck? She suffered 3rd degree goddamn burns of course she's a victim! The true wolves aren't McDonald's? Their negligence caused her 3rd degree burns and then they vilified her in the public eye, call it what you want, but do better than some abstract tangent about how we're "in this together"
@MarloweB3488 I didn't even read his comment but having just watched the documentary, McDonald's Witnesses destroyed thier case. The videos of them showed them as ridiculous, uncaring and stupid. One of them stated that he was shocked that there were only 700 reports of people being burned by McDonald's Coffee and shocked that the number wasn't HIGHER.
@MarloweB3488 Then the coffee trade group "National Coffee Association of USA, Inc" covered for McDonald's by advocating that the temperature of coffee be maintained at 180-185 degrees F before being served. That particular CYA moment is still visible on the "How to Brew Coffee" portion of their website.
I find it disgusting and sad how many people just dismiss this suit without the remotest hint of thought for the plaintiff, and how it's been used to boil away consumer rights in America.
@antonscottgoustin And yeah, god forbid most of the people elected to the highest office in charge of executing laws in the country have a legal background...
Obviously the general public got the wrong idea about the Liebeck coffee case, but that doesn't change the fact that plantiff's attorney's are bleeding the society dry with illegitimate and over-stated claims. Its fine to put the hot coffee myth to rest, but don't act like frivolous lawsuits aren't needlessly jacking up the cost of insurance on doctors, small business, etc. Schools are afraid to have playgrounds now for crying out loud because a kid might fall down and break their arm.
TheBullionBull 1 week ago
@TheBullionBull I am a lawyer, I see a lot of people try to bring frivolous lawsuits, but such suits are very expensive to litigate and most lawyers dont want to take a case they will lose. By the time cases make it to trial, I assure you, very few are frivolous. In addition, when frivolous lawsuits are brought, it is because the law ALLOWS them and REWARDS plaintiffs with big settlements- this is up to the lawmakers to reform the laws to PREVENT this. I wonder why they dont
GetOffMyNutsac 1 day ago
A lot of you have commented against the "frivolous" lawsuits, so I am only guessing that this trailer is as far as you got. You need reserve your judgement until you have watched the whole documentary.
jreneeb 1 month ago
Oh those poor corporations who have...um, insurance! Thats who really fronts the bill, so who cares if a lawsuit is considered a bit frivolous. Whether its plaintiff or defense it has less to do with justice and more to do with the " gamble of the game."
aliveagain09 1 month ago
Thank-you HBO for this documentary....before then I bought into the propaganda and thought Liebecks Hot Coffee lawsuit was frivolous after seeing this documentary which showed the pictures of her third degree burns. I will rethink voting for any judge or politician pushing for limiting people rights to be fully compensated for the damage they have sustained.
ricochecagou 1 month ago 5
Well our legal system here in the UK is nothing more than a joke; it's nice to know that in the US there is still some justice left. A horrific accident when 4 washing machines fell 2 of which hit my wife the washing machines fell from 30 ft. It happen in 2003 and she is still waiting for her compensation, Google, bad accident at Costco's
colinberry1 1 month ago
tort law is completely fair. And people forget, you can counter sue!
TheRepublicOfUngeria 1 month ago
@SuperGuitarman69 Those poor, put-upon corporations, being hit with all those vaguely-defined frivolous lawsuits we read about in our inboxes almost daily. And their only crime is making unsafe products. Where's the justice anymore? =(
rubino83 2 months ago 6
Best documentary I've seen since 'Smartest Guys in the Room" and " Hoop Dreams'
blaaket123 2 months ago
Highly recommend this. BTW, does anyone know if there is any website that rates documentaries on accuracy?
rayaluna 2 months ago
I love how most of the commenters claim to know what a frivolous lawsuit is, but can't even spell the word 'frivolous' haha! durrr
emmmighty 3 months ago
Really enlightening to hear this (honest) perspective. There really is a widespread notion that "frivolous" lawsuits and tort law are unfair to business. That is nonsense. The 7th amendment guarantees access to courts. Corps want to deteriorate that right. Corps are coming at our rights from every angle.
artistbeinghuman 4 months ago 28
@artistbeinghuman This is a complete and utter lie.. What tort reform does is it makes the party doing the suing responsible for all costs incurred by the defendant if the plaintiff loses.. The problem with frivolous law suits is that it costs sometimes 100's of thousands of dollars for companies to defend them, no matter guilt.. Over 85% of these lawsuits are in the favor of the defendant (company).. There is NO recourse in which the company can be compensated for Part 1
SuperGuitarman69 2 months ago
@SuperGuitarman69 It's beliefs like yours which make movies like this so absolutely necessary. Do your homework. Corporations are buying the judicial system, and chipping away at your rights with a sledgehammer.
JerseyBiscuit 1 month ago
I've heard of many stories about people suing for the most ridiculous things, it is unimaginable. But rather than blaming it on the people that is suing, I also blame it more on the judge to let these people win the case.
0326hkim 4 months ago
@0326hkim Judges usually throw out frivolous lawsuits.
haymaker710 4 months ago
@0326hkim Sorry, the jury decides the case.
rexitis1029 4 months ago
@rexitis1029 Judges can override juries in certain circumstances. It's called JNOV (judgment notwithstanding the verdict).
OverbearingUrge 2 months ago
Republicans say: I'm smart enough to not to _insert _reason_for_tort_litigation_here. But the sad fact is the ignorant sheeple herded by the "conservative masterminds" are often the victims of torts. Real, smart people see through the media shenanigans.
American Republican say: WHAT?! There is lead in my baby's toys?! Chinaman say: I thought you were smart enough to read the ingredient lists that are CLEARLY written in Chinese. WHAT? you dont' know Chinese?!
lafkdjay 4 months ago
its a good movie! watch it!
sanmorris 4 months ago
check out the movie, there youll see the pics of her burns and skin-grafts its awful! i thought this story was ridiculous when i heard it. i even thought it was made up but its not and she fucking deserved that money! so fuck bush for damage caps!
also a women was raped by halliburton employees and then incarcerated. no trial cuz of a mandatory arbitration clause. fuck halliburton and the chamber of commerce!!!
sanmorris 4 months ago 2
Omg i feel so dumb for believing since little about the woman who spilled hot coffee turned out to be a victim. Damn you Corporate Media.
Vladimir0538 4 months ago
thumbs up if you found it trough the colbert bump
PiratenReport 4 months ago
I SAY THAT DUMB BITCH DIDNT DESERVE THAT MONEY SHE WAS SO STUPID SHE DIDNT REALIZE THE COFFEE WAS HOT AND HOW DOES ANYBODY KNOW SHE DIDNT POUR THAT COFFEE ON HERSELF JUST TO GET THE MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!
moltacfirewind1 4 months ago
@moltacfirewind1 Because they are 'useful idiots' who want to believe anything if it means corporations are evil. They aren't the brightest crayons in the box.
tinydancer1965 4 months ago
@moltacfirewind1: 3rd degree burns. Skin grafts. 2 years worth of recovery. She didn't get millions, she got less half a million, and pretty much all of that was for medical bills. The coffee was 190F. The coffee you brew at home is 120F. Water boils at 212F and your radiator, after driving home, is usually around 180F-200F. But don't let facts get the in the way of your ignorance.
OverbearingUrge 2 months ago
IF YOU SPILL HOT COFFEE ON YOURSELF ITS YOUR OWN DAMN FAULT AND NOT THE RESTAURANTS. Are you going to sue the car company too because the cup holders weren't good enough. Or maybe the road company because the roads were too bumpy and it cause your coffee to spill. Its ridiculous
smdho 4 months ago
@smdho actually i shall sue my car company because i got in an accident and it was my fault, and should i also sue them because i didnt know how to turn on the AC like a dumb ass on a hot day? (sarcasm)
0326hkim 4 months ago
@smdho The road company..brilliant!! What if the "road company" had been warned 700 times about their roads and and did nothing and then your family member was badly injured because of the roads??? Let the government take away others rights and soon they are taking yours my friend.
kavorka68 2 months ago
It's beyond obvious that politicians do the bidding of big money. This is why voting is such a charade. It's basically an issue of which errand boy you want in office. Folks, we live in a feudal society, no doubt about it.
hotfingersandwich 4 months ago
So if I'm stupid enough to nearly choke on my hamburger, I can sue McDonald's too?
Menegoth 4 months ago
@Menegoth Troll
zombillymays 4 months ago
@Menegoth If your throat closes up because McDonald's hasn't informed you that there is peanut residue in their grease, yes.
JejunumJake 4 months ago
@Menegoth
I suggest you personally go search up the burns she got. It is fucking grotesque and horrifying actually how burnt she was, she almost died.
PumaOPumaOPumaO 4 months ago
@Menegoth
No...you're just stupid enough to make a shallow comparison between corporate malfeasance and gluttony.
snarkishone 4 months ago
Gotta love the insurance companies. Here in Florida, years ago, they passed medical malpractice caps. They promised that healthcare costs, health insurance, etc. would go down. I live in Florida, healthcare costs have not gone down. All it did was line the insurance companies pockets with millions in more dollars - plain and simple - harm citizens and make the insurance companies richer. That's not the American way.
ranger3batt 5 months ago
I still think the coffee lawsuit was BS. According to the National Coffee Association of USA, coffee should be brewed at temperatures between 195 and 205 degrees, then served immediately. Her coffee was 190 degrees. Coffee should be HOT. If you spill it on yourself you get burned badly. Did McDonald's give her a faulty cup or did she simply spill a hot cup of coffee?
NoahALanger 5 months ago
@NoahALanger What was NOT BS were her injuries. The documentary shows photographs taken of the woman in the hospital. I have seldom seen such horrible & distasteful burn injuries--and I used to work in the medical field!The incident was presented as just one of the examples of the GOP-conservative deliberate and broad-based effort to deny people's access to the US justice system--to hammer home the memes of "frivolus lawsuits" or "torn reform." See the DVD.
aikido7 5 months ago 3
@aikido7 I agree completely. Yeah it sounds silly and yeah it was a bit crazy for her to put between her legs but given that they weren't moving I can see why she did that. No cup holders in the old car. It becomes less frivolous when you have to pay those hospital bills! Also companies/corporations need to be accountable for the crap they make and sell the public.
leoisillon06 4 months ago
@NoahALanger
Coffee should NOT be hot enough to cause THIRD degree burns that require skin grafts.
loner1878 5 months ago
@NoahALanger Her skin was melting off her body. 190 degree coffee is not hot enough to melt flesh.
JejunumJake 4 months ago
@JejunumJake I think it was 190 degrees celcius, which is nearly double the normal boiling point.
squreshi10 4 months ago
@squreshi10: No, it was 190 fahrenheit. Water boils at 212 fahrenheit. 190 celsius would around 340 fahrenheit, I believe. If the coffee was that hot, it would melt the cups.
OverbearingUrge 2 months ago
@JejunumJake You're probably basing your opinion on a younger persons skin.
What you have to realise is that elderly citizens do not have the same skin they had in their younger days.
Over the age of 65, skin becomes paper thin and is easy to rip or burn. Even worse, if they have had several medications for prolonged periods, their skin deteriorates faster.
Having seen many elderly people in hospitals with burns, I can say that the "extent" of her burns did not surprise me.
SalCast7 3 months ago 2
People and there lawsuits in this country are out of control, whether this film says they are or not. There are cases where lawsuits are needed, 95% of the time they are not.
Patbow25 6 months ago
@Patbow25 How do you arrive at your numbers? The corporations DEFINITELY want to discourage personal lawsuits if they affect the bottom line. All I can say is see the DVD. Unless you are the type of person who has their mind already made up regardless of the evidence, facts and data.
aikido7 5 months ago
@Patbow25
McDonalds and other corporations have spent a lot of money on PR campaigns to make sure you think that. Good girl.
loner1878 5 months ago
It should come as no surprise that business interests are finally fighting back against several decades of the expanding concept (to the point of absurd) of tort liability, particularly, products liability, that we have the trial lawyers and their friends on the bench to thank for. The trial lawyers have been playing the lobbying game for decades; they cannot be heard to complain that business interests are doing the same.
Madner70 6 months ago
Control the information and you control the people. This is why I watch news on the internet from independent sources. I try to do my own research if someone really gets my interest, but at this point I'd rather be at the mercy of misinformation from one person than from corporate media.
XxSayrosxX 6 months ago
Nice trailer, but what I can't understand is why is Super Bass up next?
IIsYourKing 6 months ago
the movie never discusses the real cost, if any, of real frivilous law suits. It never even discusses frivilous law suits. Just the exeptions to the rule. How can we take anything from the movie with such an obvious part of it left out.
TheKermit3131 6 months ago
@TheKermit3131 Good point. It acts as if there are no such things as frivilous lawsuits. I personally still believe the McDonalds case was frivilous. Had she made that coffee at home and burned herself who would she have sued? Folgers? Mr Coffee? If feel bad for her injuries but just because you've been hurt doesn't mean you're a victim. I've seen the burns and it's horrid but it doesn't make her a victim of injustice.
kbr7171 6 months ago
@kbr7171. You need to watch this to understand the how's and why's of the case. There were 700 burn victims from the McDonalds coffee before she was burned. The coffee was 180-190dg when served. Thats 70dg hotter than when you make coffee at home. The injustice was that McD's knew this was a problem and did nothing to fix it. She initially sued for the $ medicare didn't cover and to get McD's to change the cup lid. The jury awarded her the 2.5mil. Hardly meets the "frivolous" tag.
drk243 5 months ago 3
@TheKermit3131 Because "frivilous law suits" [sic] constitute a minuscule fraction of the actual lawsuits that go to court. As this movie reveals, what the conglomerations have done is successfully brainwashed you into believing that they are besieged on all fronts by crackpots with fake cases, when in fact next to all of the cases that make it to court are based on serious corporate negligence.
JejunumJake 4 months ago
I thought this was grand theft auto...
96Jables 6 months ago
The campaign by special interests to make sure Justice DIaz DID NOT sit on that bench was truly APPALLING. There is nothing these people won't do. And the worst of it is that THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME ACROSS AMERICA.. What a nightmare.
sandyg1955 6 months ago
I've carried the facts of the Liebeck case with me in my briefcase every day for many years, so as to be able to rebut any false aspersions about a "jackpot" won.
Ms. Liebeck never collected the $2.9million because McDonalds was found on appeal not to be at fault. A much smaller award fit their local franchisee, which had served the coffee far hotter than McDonalds standards. (In fact, McDonalds had penalized the franchisee previously for that). So Ms. Liebeck got some justice but not much!
Avon53 6 months ago 20
PLEASE share this movie with EVERYONE. Americans need to see this and the way that we have been LIED to and how our Constitutional rights are be taken away from us!!!
mmmmfx 7 months ago
. . . and the reason McDonald's brews their coffee at just under boiling temperatures? . . . to get more coffee out of the beans and therefore make more money!
SampedroFamily 7 months ago
Just as a cigarette has a warning that says "may cause cancer" its very logical that the coffee should have had a warning that said caution 180 degrees and may cause third degree burns(!!) I certainly would never hold it my lap if I knew that. I am enraged that I didn't know the whole story about this.
toof 7 months ago
Before anyone comments, they should actually watch the film. It will open your eyes.
MamoDad 7 months ago
@MamoDad It just goes to show how the rich buy the media, buy judges to have laws changed against the middle class and how middle class republicans have been fooled. Wyoming also started the snow ball affect against union cities of america in order to get the union's out and use the new mandatory arbitration clauses which u r required to sign if you want a JOB. Something bad happens u go to an company paid arbitrator who owes his JOB to the company w/ 1 out of 100 chances of prevailing.
damianfonseca 7 months ago
She didn't think she would live? Really?!?
provostg 7 months ago
@provostg Maybe you should know the facts of the case. She was 79 years old, and had HUGE severe 2nd and 3rd degree burns to her legs which required multiple skin grafts. Yes, at times they didn't think she'd live through the surgeries.
jacksheets 7 months ago 2
Did you know that in NJ, if a ROBBER get hurt in YOUR house, YOU get in trouble
FalzarZ 7 months ago
@FalzarZ No, you don't.
JejunumJake 4 months ago
Since when were media "truth tellers"? It's always been about the story. Try going to colleges that produce the ways of thinking of our media and protest. In my long life I have had 2 situations where my thoughts were on TV (interviewing random in Boston). Both times they put my response to something I wasn't asked and completely used it out of context. Both times I was told it "must have been a slight oversight". Bullshit, it's about taking the media you have and making the most of it. Truth?Ha
Danbo342 7 months ago
unbelievable !!! just watched the movie and dont even know what to say about it.... only thing that comes to mind is SCARY !!!!
swissprovi 7 months ago
Watched it tonight, I want to spread it as much as possible now. This is a documentary every American needs to see to fully understand what really goes on in politics.
moezy217 7 months ago 3
@moezy217 I agree 100% , this is an eye opening documentary . The way this case was misrepresented to the American public was a real injustice.
MindofaJedi 7 months ago
I watched this yesterday and talk about an eye opener.
Gabriellaella23 7 months ago
what is the biase of this documentary i cant really tell from this trailer
franczyk94 7 months ago 2
A great movie. It is "on demand" on Cox cable, at this time.
ilovemylifesblog 7 months ago
Love how a "documentary" with a political agenda criticizes the media of having an agenda. LOL This is the definition of irony.
Pilottim1979 7 months ago
how do they even come up with a sum of 2.9m for an 81 year old?
IMnineonetwo 8 months ago
@IMnineonetwo Medical costs involving skin grafts, reconstruction, icu, etc.
kidcapri009 7 months ago
@IMnineonetwo if you watch the movie: she only got 480k dollar not the full money. watch the film that you understand.
moeloehoe 7 months ago
Extraordinary Doc. Changed my understanding between frivolous and important lawsuits.
HankWhiteProductions 8 months ago
A must see documentary. Watch how the rights put in place by the creators of our Constitution to protect the citizens of the USA are being bought and sold by politicians and big business interest. The Chamber of Commerce’s marketing machine along with others misinforms and persuades the public and chips away at our rights until one day our day in court will be a thing of the past.
robertameyers 8 months ago 4
The first nations were ruled by religions and monarchs. Later on nations were ruled by social democracies and elected officials. Now nations are ruled by corporations and plutocrats.
MarmaladeINFP 8 months ago 30
@MarmaladeINFP no they arent, since when has mcdonalds ever passed a law? that comment made no sense whatsoever.
Mrawesomo92 8 months ago
We all only have ourselves to blame for the state of big corporations and government corruption and until people stop being brainwashed sheep, which history shows is almost never, it is only going to get worse. Big corps act as if they are their own countries with their own rules, deny, lie, if that does not work manipulate and corrupt. All comes down to us and the choices we make, who and what we choose to support, the kind of lifestyle we live and want.... wake up.
petecabrina 8 months ago 2
This movie is a real eye opener! How has Karl Rove escaped prison at this point? The man is pure evil.
tlcorsello 8 months ago 13
This movie is a real eye opener!
tlcorsello 8 months ago
I often wondered about the Mc D coffee burns
clnmyjts 8 months ago
@clnmyjts -- You know a better question to ask? Confidentiality agreements mean NEITHER party can speak publically about it. How did it become public knowledge in the first place? Seems to me that someone at McDonalds broke the agreement, but the lady certainly never did. The only side of the story we ever heard was McD's. And I am ashamed that I laughed at this case. I should have known that the jury had all the details, and we were only being told what someone else wanted to tell us.
rblasco1970 7 months ago
OMFG a movie about the stupid american law system where every idiot sues every company because of beeing stupid. Coffee is made of hot water as far as I know. Water boils at 100 degrees (Celsius). If you drink your coffee like orange juice you are an idiot.
You know here in Europe everyone laughs about those people who sue car companys because nobody told them an automatic shifted car doesn't have an autopilot function
Willey1986 8 months ago
@Willey1986 perhaps you should watch the movie before displaying your skill at being ethnocentric.
VVhiterice1 8 months ago
@Willey1986 Is there anything more ironic than misspelling "beeing stupid"? LOL. Like a bumblebee! And oh yeah it's companies not "companys." It appears you were home-schooled, are a moron, or both. Please do us all a favor and learn to spell before you try to impress us with your intellect.
sjking1188 8 months ago
@sjking1188 "It appears you were home-shooled"....... Are you trying to inferr that being homeschooled = illteracy 100%? You just blew your whole arguement out of the water by being ignorant. I know some kids who are home taught and they're way smarter than the average public school kid. You get good spellers and bad spellers in every form of education and it's not always a reflection of their intellect, ask any dyslexic person. Your words were offensive and narrow minded.
hicsumfabulalepus 8 months ago
@Willey1986 Obviously, you are judging movie you have not seen. Hopefully, you will see it one day and feel ashamed over what you just said. (And the whole movie is NOT about the McDonalds coffee case)
TomFromJersey 8 months ago
@Willey1986 "You know here in Europe..." That's the start of a pompous self-righteous statement coming from an idiot. There are just as many idiots in Europe as there are in the rest of the world. You're proving my point.
There's a story to everything and it's nitwits like you who put your hands over your ears and shout LALALALA when it's trying to be told. Watch the friggin movie.
HollyBee9000 8 months ago
@Willey1986 -- The coffee was at 190 degrees, not 100 degrees. She received third degree burns and had to have several skin grafting operations to repair the damage, and she never fully recovered. McD had over 700 complaints of serious burns from their coffee, and they had had those complaints for YEARS before this 79 year old woman got burned. Hey, listen, Eurotrash, while MY country is bailing YOUR country out for YOUR COUNTRY'S financial misdeads, why don't you do us all a favor and STFU!
rblasco1970 7 months ago
I saw Susan Saladoff on MSNBC today. The trailer is an eyeopener , but don't prejudge the case for you hear the story. Hot Coffee is the movie. Be open minded.
bklynshus1 8 months ago 2
It is such a sad state for our country, that our media are no longer "truth tellers." Instead of being run for the benefit of the people, it is being run for the benefit of the huge corporations who have also taken over our government.
jihf 8 months ago 79
@jihf this is why we must rely on documentaries that, at least, give a bigger chunk of a story (whether leaned one way or another). Media is so bore down that its simplified to the point of idiocy! Quick punching headlines is all they want, and those can be manufactured by corporations for money or otherwise.
I prefer to get my information from investigative documentarians than a news station that is owned by one of the largest corporations in the world.
Linzardb 8 months ago 3
@jihf
I agree.
The US constitution is useless in practice.
It was not strong enough to prevent our fascist state.
It is as useless today as the bible is.
cmfluteguy 8 months ago
@jihf It's corruption. :(
ROEDERBABY 8 months ago
@jihf
I don't recall a time it was ever run for the benefit of the people.
DuskFiend 8 months ago 3
@jihf you sound like one of those hippies on that one south park episode, complaining about corporations taking over the world and having no basis for this. I would hate to live in a world without mcdonalds and they have money, so what?? you are only jealous that the heads of mcdonalds were successful in life and didnt become stoner hippies like yourself. you are ridiculous
Mrawesomo92 8 months ago
@jihf
Yep. But what's even more sad to me, is that we let them do it. There's still a large portion of our country, even the more liberal ones, that consent to it, and even support some of it.
AltairEgo1 7 months ago
The true victims of the civil lawsuit system are not Ms. Liebeck. The true wolves are not McDonalds. We are all in this together--the American people. The number of lawyers per capita in the USA is 7-fold higher than in the comparable nations of Europe such as Germany, the Netherlands, with similiar lifestyles and incomes. The Chancellor of Germany (Angela Merkel is a physicist (Ph.D.)). Most of the recent Presidents of the USA are freakin LAWYERS! (notable exceptions are Reagan and Carter)
antonscottgoustin 8 months ago
@antonscottgoustin You haven't actually made a discernible point. Ok there's a lot of lawyers in America, but you never explained how that was a problem. The true victims aren't Ms. Liebeck? She suffered 3rd degree goddamn burns of course she's a victim! The true wolves aren't McDonald's? Their negligence caused her 3rd degree burns and then they vilified her in the public eye, call it what you want, but do better than some abstract tangent about how we're "in this together"
MarloweB3488 8 months ago 32
@MarloweB3488 I didn't even read his comment but having just watched the documentary, McDonald's Witnesses destroyed thier case. The videos of them showed them as ridiculous, uncaring and stupid. One of them stated that he was shocked that there were only 700 reports of people being burned by McDonald's Coffee and shocked that the number wasn't HIGHER.
lewi0176 8 months ago 2
@MarloweB3488 Then the coffee trade group "National Coffee Association of USA, Inc" covered for McDonald's by advocating that the temperature of coffee be maintained at 180-185 degrees F before being served. That particular CYA moment is still visible on the "How to Brew Coffee" portion of their website.
I find it disgusting and sad how many people just dismiss this suit without the remotest hint of thought for the plaintiff, and how it's been used to boil away consumer rights in America.
Zenthik 8 months ago 2
@antonscottgoustin And yeah, god forbid most of the people elected to the highest office in charge of executing laws in the country have a legal background...
MarloweB3488 8 months ago
This will really help shift awareness on this vital issue.
laurenmichellekinsey 8 months ago 2
One of the best films I saw at Full Frame.
virga1 8 months ago 2
Yay - I love this. Thank you Susan Saladoff!!
StoneSculptorLauren 8 months ago 2
Important as it gets.
jpollan 8 months ago 2
This documentary must be seen for civil justice to be genuinely appreciated.
rawmancaw 9 months ago 2