Introduction to the case of Ribbeck v. McDonald s Restaurant

Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurant McDonald'S Restaurants), also known as McDonald's Coffee, is a well-known product liability lawsuit in the United States, and has sparked a debate in legal circles about the reform of tort law in the United States.

In this case, a woman was awarded $2.9 million by a jury vote for accidentally burning herself with hot coffee. Subsequently, the trial judge ruled to reduce the amount of damages to $640,000, but McDonald's and the victim successfully reached an agreement before appealing, and the parties settled out of court under the condition that the amount of compensation was kept confidential. The incident caused a great deal of repercussions in the United States, and the general public opinion even regarded it as a frivolous lawsuit that wasted public money.