Business Pulse Letter to the Editor

This is in response to James Clark?s “Man thinks looking like Jordan worth millions” story.

I am not writing because of the article you wrote. I am writing because of the absurd and uninformed comment you wrote about the “McDonald?s drive-thru lady” in the first paragraph. Many people are unaware of the actual facts about the Liebeck vs. McDonald?s Corp. case.

I was uniformed also until sitting in a law class in Knoxville. The case was in fact not a ?frivolous? lawsuit at all. To make a long story short, McDonald?s made its coffee too hot. 180 degrees is not deemed hot ? it is scalding.

In two to seven seconds, 180 degrees of hot substance will cause full thickness burns. That is a third-degree burn that can burn through skin and muscle. Mrs. Liebeck was with her grandson that morning of the accident in the passenger seat. She put her cup of scalding hot coffee (which was NOT labled ?caution hot coffee?) between her legs after her grandson had stopped the car so she could add cream and sugar.

The lid slipped off and burned over 6 percent of her body, including her inner thighs, perineum, buttocks, genitals and groin. She had to stay in the hospital for eight days and go through reconstrutive surgery on her genitals. To this day, parts of Ms. Liebeck’s body are permanently scarred.

Even before her, there were 700 cases against McDonald?s. In most cases McDonald?s settled. In that case, if McDonald?s lawyers, a jury of six men and six women, a judge, and Mrs. Liebeck don?t disregard this case as ?frivolous? you shouldn’t either.

Rebekah West

Political science major

McMinnville