Hot Coffee WRITING ASSIGNMENT Public interest lawyer and documentary filmmaker Susan Saladoff produced and directed the awardwinning Hot Coffee documentary in 2011. The film follows four cases involving Americans' right of access to the third branch of our government, the judiciary.

WATCH THE FILM: Be sure to watch at least the sections on Hot Coffee with Stella Liebeck and Caps on with Colin Gourley. The more you watch of the documentary, the more evidence you have to support your answers

ASSIGNMENT: Answer the following questions: 1. Did your position on the Stella Liebeck case change as a result of viewing the documentary? In other words, did your position change from the position you took in the Week 10 Discussion. Please explain in detail what factors influenced your decision. If your position stayed the same, please explain in detail why.

2. Explain the following with respect to the Stella Liebeck's recovery. a. The amount Stella's family requested from McDonalds. b. The affect Stella Liebeck's negligence had on amount the court awarded to her. c. What is the difference between compensatory damages and punitive damages? Do you believe that the amount the court awarded in punitive damages could/did cause McDonald's to change its behavior?

3. How did caps on damages affect Colin Gourley's award? Start with an explanation on what caps on damages are and include arguments on why proponents favor caps on damages and why opponents oppose caps on damages. What is your position on caps on damages?

4. What role does the media play relative to the positions we take on controversial issues?

5. What role do big corporations take in creating laws that benefit corporations and disadvantage the average person?

6. What role do politicians play in shaping our perspectives on issues such as frivolous lawsuits and caps on damages?

7. What is your biggest takeaway from the documentary? In other words, what had the most impact on you or what did you find the most interesting, surprising ,or noteworthy?

cite to your source(s) in MLA format.