please I need to reply (leah)

Tort Law Reform

I think the public gets the impression that there are so many frivolous lawsuits because that is what the media makes it.At first glance, when you see a headline saying "Woman sues McDonalds for hot coffee" immediately you think, well duh coffee is hot.The media doesn't go into the details of the case.I actually wrote a discussion on this last term in one of my classes and my professor gave us some good information about what was all involved.After hearing those details, this was by no means a frivolous lawsuit.First, McDonalds had been previously warned about how hot their coffee was.It wasn't just hot, it was scalding.During the discovery process, there were over 700 complaints filed about how hot the coffee was.Liebeck had third degree burns and had to have reconstructive surgery in her pelvic area as a result.Also it should be noted that she only sued for 20,000.She didn't want millions, she just wanted compensation for the medical bills because of the damage from the overly hot coffee.It was the court that decided to award her more money.

I don't think this perception is valid.I think there are the few frivolous cases that will get through, but we need to remember that the media wants a story that will hold your attention.They aren't always going to report all the facts that show why the case has come into question.From the first article we read, you can see that many of the cases ended up being thrown out because a judge saw through it.Our legal system is set up to prevent these types of lawsuits from coming to be.There will always be that 1 lawyer who will take just about any case, but for the most part I think this is well under control.