Almost everyone has heard of so-called frivolous lawsuits. These are suits that seem to be built on the flimsiest of wrong-doing and appear to be spurred not by the search for justice but money. If you get hurt yourself, however, misconceptions about frivolous lawsuits might keep you from seeking the money damages that you really deserve. Read on to learn more.
Silly Suits
The media may be partly to blame for the wide decimation of news about these cases, many of which never make it past the filing stage. The courts won't waste much time on suits that have no merit, and most are dismissed for one reason or another before the trial really gets started. That doesn't stop the media from broadcasting tales about cases where a burglar sues a business for getting hurt while breaking in to rob the place or people suing cookie manufacturers for making them gain weight, though.
McDonald's Coffee Lawsuit
When most people think of frivolous lawsuits, the fabled McDonald's coffee incident always pops up. The facts about this incident have been distorted to such a degree that they bear very little resemblance to what really happened. Stella Liebeck, age 79, burned her upper leg area badly opening a cup of coffee from McDonald's.
The reported three million dollar settlement was never paid to Ms. Liebeck; instead, she garnered about $600,000 and that included her medical bills. She suffered third-degree burns and had to be hospitalized for several weeks because of the burns. Additionally, she had to undergo painful skin graft surgeries to repair the damage to her thigh and groin area.
What is so stunning about this case is that she only asked McDonald's to pay her medical bills and they refused. Court documents later showed that the corporation had several previous suits that alleged the 190 degrees (boiling hot) coffee was dangerous and never made changes to ensure the safety of consumers. It's worth noting that part of the original three million dollar judgment was punitive damages that the judge added to the judgment. This lawsuit was not about personal greed, but about the courts forcing a corporation to make changes to enhance the safety of its products and procedures.
It would be a grave mistake to think that an injury caused by the actions of a business or an individual should be overlooked because of false publicity about other lawsuits. You are entitled to be paid your money damages and, in some cases, you might be doing other people a huge favor by called attention to wrong-doing that should be punished. Speak to a personal injury lawyer to learn more.
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