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If there’s one lawsuit everyone in America has heard about, it’s the infamous case Stella Liebeck filed against McDonalds after she spilled a cup of coffee in her lap.
That case became the poster child for lawsuit abuse, but unfortunately, it also inspired many copycat lawsuits. After personal injury lawyers saw that some courts were willing to ignore personal responsibility, lawsuits over spilled drinks skyrocketed.
I just read that someone recently sued Starbucks after spilling hot tea in their lap, and I know about another lawsuit involving – now listen closely — a spilled milkshake.
Let’s be fair, there used to be a time when if someone spilled a drink in their lap, they’d call themselves clumsy. Nowadays, too many people are calling themselves a lawyer.
I have a blog where I report on these kinds of lawsuits and reveal the impact they’re having on families. To get the story behind the stories I bring to you each week in these sixty-second commentaries, check it out. There are even links to videos like a national news broadcast that features Stella Liebeck and yours truly. You can also see that by clicking here.
Find out more at FoundationForFairCivilJustice.org.
Bob Dorigo Jones, who serves as Senior Fellow for the Foundation for Fair Civil Justice, is the author of the bestselling Remove Child Before Folding, The 101 Stupidest, Silliest and Wackiest Warning Labels Ever. He is the host of a new national radio/Internet commentary, “Let’s Be Fair.”