Question

Ethical Dilemma: A lawsuit a few years ago made headlines worldwide when a McDonald's drive-through customer spilled a cup of scalding hot coffee on herself. Claiming the coffee was too hot to be safely consumed in a car, the badly burned 80-year-old woman won $2.9 million in court. (The judge later reduced the award to $640,000.) McDonald's claimed the product was served to the correct specifications and was of proper quality. Further, the cup read "Caution - Contents May Be Hot." McDonald's coffee, at 180 degrees, is substantially hotter (by corporate rule) than typical restaurant coffee, despite hundreds of coffee-scalding complaints in the past 10 years. Similar court cases, incidentally, resulted in smaller verdicts, but again in favor of the plaintiffs. For example, Motor City Bagel Shop was sued for a spilled cup of coffee by a drive-through patron, and Starbucks by a customer who spilled coffee on her own ankle.

Are McDonald's, Motor City, and Starbucks at fault in situations such as these? How do quality and ethics enter into these cases?

Answer 1

I believe that as there are warning mentioned in the container that is containing the coffee, the consumer should be extra careful so that they do not spill the same and in addition the representative selling the product should also be warning the customer about the temperature and the hazard that it may cause. I believe the organization acnnit be held liable for such an act solely instead the customer should also take some responsibility of the same and make sure that the product is sold with containers of high quality so that the probability of spilling hot beverages are reduced.

I do not feel that there is an ethical issue of very high limit here because in such instances if both the stakeholders ensure care then such issues can be avoided and the process can be made convenient for both.