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3 million dollars! Another person was sued for compensation by hot coffee scald.

Published: 2026-01-13 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/01/13, ▲ Click to follow: daily boutique Coffee Culture Magazine Coffee Workshop according to the New York Post on October 25, a 70-year-old woman in Atlanta was severely scalded by spilled hot coffee in a doughnut shop in 2021 and recently reached a final settlement agreement with the restaurant for a compensation of $3 million. According to the old lady's

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A 70-year-old woman in Atlanta was severely scalded by spilled hot coffee at a doughnut shop in 2021 and reached a final settlement with the restaurant for $3 million, the New York Post reported on Oct. 25.

According to the old lady's lawyer, the hot coffee burn occurred at the Dunkin' Donuts store on Nelson Brogdon Boulevard Avenue in Sugar Hill. At that time, she drove to the window of the Dunkin' restaurant to order coffee, and when the staff handed her a hot drink, they did not notice that the lid of the coffee cup came off, causing second to third-degree burns to the woman's thighs, groin and abdomen and required skin grafting, which cost as much as $200000.

During the trial, the lawyer said, "the plaintiff had to apply ointment to the wound several times a day during her several weeks in the scald department of Grady Health Center, but also caused unbearable pain when walking." If the employee had been able to close the lid of the coffee cup intact at that time, the burn accident could have been avoided. "

In response, Golden Donuts, LLC, the franchise operator of the Dunkin' store, agreed to pay a $3 million settlement to compensate the woman for the damage she suffered and the negative impact on her life.

As for the dereliction of duty on the part of the staff at the Dunkin' store, the plaintiff's lawyer added: "one of the most famous lawsuits in American history is a serious burn caused by hot coffee." However, the restaurant still did not learn the lesson and did not give priority to the safety of customers. We hope to reach a settlement to convey to all restaurants and franchisees the view that it is not complicated to properly train staff and give priority to customer safety. "

As for the "serious hot coffee scald case" mentioned here, it is the McDonald's coffee scald case that caused a sensation in the 1990s.

In 1992, when a 79-year-old woman in the United States was drinking hot coffee at McDonald's, she didn't notice that the lid fell off and the coffee tipped over, resulting in severe third-degree burns in many places, such as her thighs and buttocks. After two years of treatment, she hoped that McDonald's would pay all her medical expenses, that is, $20,000, but McDonald's was only willing to pay $800 in comfort fees and repeatedly refused to settle with the old lady in court. She had no choice but to take McDonald's to court.

After the case entered the trial stage, the jury found that there were factual quality defects in the coffee products and that McDonald's "reckless" behavior (without warning customers of the high temperature of the coffee) resulted in personal injury and property damage to the plaintiff. McDonald's agreed that McDonald's should pay the old lady $286. In the end, the judge ruled that the compensation was $640000, and McDonald's reached an out-of-court settlement with the old lady, and the actual amount of compensation was kept secret.

After the case, McDonald's and many other coffee shops issued warnings on cups to remind customers to beware of hot mouths. Well-known catering brands, including Burger King and Starbucks, have also appropriately lowered the temperature of hot drinks and improved their packaging, which is now commonly known as "hot drinks" (Caution! Hot Contents) the logo was born at that time.

Such incidents once again remind us that as practitioners in the service industry, we should always maintain a high degree of vigilance and sense of responsibility.

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