Should You be Able to SueMcDonaldsif You Spill Coffee on Yourself?

If you talk about lawsuits today,some peoplewill tell you that a lot of them arefrivolous. There are a few famous cases that you might have heard about in which people sued a business for something that can usually only be described as resulting from their own stupidity.

For example, in 1992StellaLiebeckbecame the poster child of"frivolous" lawsuitswhen she suedMcDonaldsafter spilling hot coffee on herself while in a car after stopping at a McDonald's drive-through.

What you may have heard:

Stella ordered her 49 cent coffee knowing that it was incredibly hot. She chose to attempt to drive while holding her coffee in the front seat. Stella clumsily spilled the coffee in her lap while driving and slightly burned herself. Angry at her own stupidity, she turned against a big corporation for revenge. Stella received millions fromMcDonaldsfor her own stupidity.

What are your thoughts about Mrs.Liebeck'scase?