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[Something Evil]

Noo, she was legitimately stupid. It's a thin, structurally unstable container. Held in a way where an involuntary twitch would compress it. If someone you knew did the same with a cup of soda, you'd call them a dumbass after they'd soaked their pants and the car seat in sugary, sticky, fizzy drink. The fact that it was injury-causing hot is a separate matter, and the company's stupidity, which I'll also admit.

Severe injuries caused by total disregard of safety are still injuries caused by total disregard of safety.

The perceived risk was unacceptably far from the actual risk of her actions. No one thinks that they're going to be that injured by coffee, because in all situations but McDonald's coffee none was that hot.

Hence it simultaneously being the fault of two parties. One taking an unnecessary risk, and one amplifying the risk with being too lazy to drop an ice cube into the damn things or something.

Also, spilling a hot drink onto one's self is always expected to be a nasty experience. The fact that it's caused a 3rd degree burn and not a 1st degree one is indeed the fault of McDonalds being lazy and of the unfortunate chance of cotton pants. Again, they should have given her more, and she was entitled to a larger compensation, but she's not faultless in this by any stretch.

[Darvi]

Yes, the severity, the fact that it was at all possible to get badly burnt was MD's fault. But that there was even the possibility of spilling the drink all over herself was her own fault.

[The Darkling Wolf]

Yeah, considering she was specifically removing the lid, the one thing which gives those cups anything resembling structural integrity/

[Frumple]

And... yeah. The court actually did say she was 20% at fault, and reduced the compensatory damages accordingly.

Applying the principles of comparative negligence, the jury found that McDonald's was 80% responsible for the incident and Liebeck was 20% at fault. Though there was a warning on the coffee cup, the jury decided that the warning was neither large enough nor sufficient. They awarded Liebeck US$200,000 in compensatory damages, which was then reduced by 20% to $160,000.

[Loud Whispers]

I just bloody noticed someone tried to break into our house again. They of course, failed miserably.

Attempt #1 (2001)
Some guys with crowbars went around smashing garage locks with crowbars. They succeeded in smashing 3 locks, one of them ours. The only garages which were broken into were using old locks, and old locks for a reason.
For us - we turned our garage into an extra usable insulated room. They opened up the garage door to be greeted with a brick wall. Severely pwned.
Neighbourhood garages fortified after this.

Attempt #2 (2002)
Some guys went around trying to pry open doors with crowbars. No doors in the entire neighbourhood were opened. Moderate pwnage. Damage to doors made, mild nuisance ranging to serious repair costs needed. Two snake bites in our door are the only evidence of a conflict having taken place.

Attempt #3 (2003)
Some guys went around trying to pry open doors with crowbars as well as open doors from the inside handle (why did they think that would work?!). Failed in breaking into anyone's homes, succeeded in providing multiple finger prints on everyone's doors. Derp derp derp.

Attempt #4 (2006)
Russian mafia stole our tenant's car and TV while EVERYONE was in the house - the only time someone has succeeded in stealing anything. No evidence left behind. The tenant went by numerous names. Awesome guy, no one hurt. No one really knows how they got in which is the most bizarre part, and they didn't steal anything that was ours - only the tenant's.

Attempt #5 (2010)
Someone goes around house by house trying to open doors by forcing the handles down. No houses broken in; they did however succeed in forcing the lock in our door in place, permanently keeping it locked.
While we were all inside.
Same person comes back again after our door had been fitted with a more modern lock which had two bolts instead of one. Fingerprints all on dat. The new lock doesn't break!

Attempt #6 (2012)
Someone grabs a crowbar or a hammer (investigation still ongoing and it's unclear as to what was used because of how unprecise they were), goes door to door trying to smash everything down. Or pry it open. Or both. Or kick it down.
Basically it looks like someone took a pick axe to our door - and lost.
Double bolts 1
Petty thug 0
They also left finger prints all over our doors. Yaaay.
My only sad is that that door is going to have to be replaced, after 12-13 years of diligence.
The front door is going to be fitted with a portcullis iron grill. Possibly. Designs still being discussed; energy efficiency versus security for example.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The grill'll look like this, but thicker and covered in black paint (no rusting :3)

One of my biggest qualms is that criminals these days put no effort into things. They just grab a hammer or a knife and they're off to do crime. They don't take time, they don't direct their energies; they just try to brute force their way to luxury and people end up really hurt as a result.
It'd be really refreshing if you're walking down an alleyway, when a bright flash of light stuns you - and by the time you recover, you're surrounded by hoodlums politely requesting your money, before disappearing in a flash of smoke twiddling gratuitous mustache and proclaiming that you have been robbed by the skyward foxes or something.
*Sigh*
Bloody criminals these days, they don't do it right and they don't do it for the right reasons. This is something wrought out of desperation, not something wrought in Kudos.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Noo, she was legitimately stupid. It's a thin, structurally unstable container. Held in a way where an involuntary twitch would compress it. If someone you knew did the same with a cup of soda, you'd call them a dumbass after they'd soaked their pants and the car seat in sugary, sticky, fizzy drink. The fact that it was injury-causing hot is a separate matter, and the company's stupidity, which I'll also admit.

It is not a separate matter. She had no reason to think she was playing Coffee Roulette here. If she was just scalded by normal temperature coffee and sued I'd call her stupid, but that isn't what happened.

Hence it simultaneously being the fault of two parties. One taking an unnecessary risk, and one amplifying the risk with being too lazy to drop an ice cube into the damn things or something.

The "risk" she was taking would in any normal situation be a practical non-risk. I've spilled hot things on myself before, it's no big deal. This was most certainly a big deal, and one that a normal person would not suspect.

[Darvi]

Attempt #7
Enraged British Methuselah bashes local hoods' heads in with a crowbar.

[Something Evil]

And... yeah. The court actually did say she was 20% at fault, and reduced the compensatory damages accordingly.

Applying the principles of comparative negligence, the jury found that McDonald's was 80% responsible for the incident and Liebeck was 20% at fault. Though there was a warning on the coffee cup, the jury decided that the warning was neither large enough nor sufficient. They awarded Liebeck US$200,000 in compensatory damages, which was then reduced by 20% to $160,000.

From an US court's PoV, this is pretty reasonable, especially given the fact that precedent weighs a lot more in that system than it arguabily should. So this level of compensation is meant not exactly to compensate her, but also to serve as a deterrent for companies to do something that puts their customers at risk.

[Scelly9]

Thinkgeek has still not shipped my edible zombie skin, caffinated gum, and fruit-that-makes-sour-things-taste-sweet tablets. Dammit, thinkgeek. I want my pointless and silly candies nao!

[Something Evil]

I just bloody noticed someone tried to break into our house again. They of course, failed miserably.

[snip]

Attempt #6 (2012)
Someone grabs a crowbar or a hammer (investigation still ongoing and it's unclear as to what was used because of how unprecise they were), goes door to door trying to smash everything down. Or pry it open. Or both. Or kick it down.
Basically it looks like someone took a pick axe to our door - and lost.
Double bolts 1
Petty thug 0
They also left finger prints all over our doors. Yaaay.
My only sad is that that door is going to have to be replaced, after 12-13 years of diligence.
The front door is going to be fitted with a portcullis iron grill. Possibly. Designs still being discussed; energy efficiency versus security for example.

Your sacrifice shall be remembered, brave door.

* Something Evil pours a little Jager onto the ground.

Also, yeah. Thieves are lazy. Partly why they're thieves.

[Squanto]

but also to serve as a deterrent for companies to do something that puts their customers at risk.

So now we have to buy plastic kitchen knives because real ones are too dangerous?

[Flying Dice]

but also to serve as a deterrent for companies to do something that puts their customers at risk.

So now we have to buy plastic kitchen knives because real ones are too dangerous?

That's an inaccurate comparison. More like ensuring that companies don't make kitchen knives with monomolecular blades, no handle, or something equally silly.

[Darvi]

Thinkgeek has still not shipped my edible zombie skin, caffinated gum, and fruit-that-makes-sour-things-taste-sweet tablets. Dammit, thinkgeek. I want my pointless and silly candies nao!

They sell miracle fruit tablets?

*also wonders about the undead flesh*

[penguinofhonor]

Yeah, they do.

Is there a way to see if your Amazon order has shipped yet? Scelly reminded me about shipping trackers and now I need to know.

[nenjin]

I'm torn between a break in-pwnage-related subtitle, or a subtitle that addresses the fact we're debating a bit of pop culture drama from almost 2 decades ago like it happened yesterday.

I think what makes me angriest about the break ins is honestly that there are criminals out there too stupid or desperate or high to wear gloves during a burglary.