The award-winning documentary “Hot Coffee,” about how corporate America has conned this country into thinking that frivolous lawsuits are rampant, will air on HBO June 27.
Here’s hoping that this gripping film will convince people that it is their right to seek justice — and not be made a public laughingstock for doing it.
The documentary spends time delving into the famous case that became the poster child for so-called “frivolous” lawsuits, and gave the film its name.
Stella Liebeck became the butt of jokes from comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld when she was awarded $2.9 million for injuries she sustained when hot coffee spilled on her at a McDonald’s. The scenario may sound silly on its face, but 81-year-old Liebeck as scalded so badly that doctors thought she would die.
In the film’s man-on-the-street interviews, the initial reaction to Liebeck’s case is skepticism. But when these people are shown photos of the elderly woman’s horrific burns, they grimace in shock. And they change their opinion about her case.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBKRjxeQnT4&nofeather=True
One of the experts interviewed says, “To go to court and to sue you have to go through a lot of trouble to do it. It affects your life. You’re going to be attacked in all kinds of ways. Going to court to gain justice is heroic.”
Don’t let the corporate spinmeisters ever make you think differently.
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