InfoAnda - Hot Coffee shows other side of frivolous lawsuits |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Iranian dissident cleric Montazeri dies | 20 December 2009
China vows not to compromise with Tibetan exiles | 20 November 2008
Global minimum and maximum temperatures in Celsius | 6 December 2008

Man convicted in death of father left to rot | 26 September 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Hot Coffee shows other side of frivolous lawsuits |

Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Near-Earth asteroid passes over Atlantic Ocean 27 Jun 2011 UPDATE 2-Wildfire reaches US Los Alamos nuclear facility 27 Jun 2011 Gay marriage foes appeal ruling on gay U.S. judge 27 Jun 2011 Lady Gaga sued over Japan earthquake charity bracelets 27 Jun 2011 US Supreme Court to decide police GPS tracking case 27 Jun 2011 Discussed 221 Biden deficit-cut talks hit impasse: Rep. Cantor 138 CBO sees government benefits swamping U.S. economy 112 Fragile economy pushed Obama to tap oil reserves Watched A Tokyo-Paris flight in under three hours on the horizon Fri, Jun 24 2011 Hefner's revenge; Ryan Reynolds stops traffic Fri, Jun 17 2011 Supreme Court: Game on! Mon, Jun 27 2011 "Hot Coffee" shows other side of "frivolous" lawsuits Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Supreme Court rejects generic drug labeling suits Thu, Jun 23 2011 Wal-Mart wins Supreme Court sex-bias ruling Mon, Jun 20 2011 UPDATE 4-Wal-Mart wins in sex-bias case at top US court Mon, Jun 20 2011 Supreme court rejects global warming lawsuit Mon, Jun 20 2011 Ex-presidential hopeful John Edwards charged over affair Fri, Jun 3 2011 Analysis & Opinion Thailand in July? Transcript of Carlos Ghosn interview Related Topics Entertainment » Fashion » Film » Susan Saladoff, director of the HBO documentary film ''Hot Coffee'' poses for a portrait during an interview with Reuters in New York, June 21, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Mike Segar By Leigh Jones NEW YORK | Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:47pm EDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - It was the case that launched a thousand jokes. The McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit almost 15 years ago came to represent for most people everything that's wrong with the American civil justice system -- a plaintiff with a serious shortage of common sense, a huge windfall in damages and a waste of everyone's time. Except that it wasn't any of those things -- at least according to an HBO documentary, "Hot Coffee", produced and directed by personal injury attorney Susan Saladoff. "Hot Coffee", which debuts on Monday, seeks to dispel the notion that U.S. courts are flooded with frivolous lawsuits and greedy lawyers. It focuses on four people who have been left in financial and emotional straits by caps on punitive damages and mandatory arbitration. In 1992, Stella Liebeck, 79, was sitting in a parked car, trying to put cream and sugar in a cup of McDonald's coffee when it spilled on her, causing third-degree burns. She initially won a $2.9 million award which was later reduced to $480,000. Liebeck eventually settled for an undisclosed amount. Reuters spoke with Saladoff about the documentary, which took two years to make and finance and which got its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Q: How did you make the switch in 2009 from lawyer to filmmaker after practicing for 25 years? A: "I kept seeing in the media these distortions, not just about the McDonald's case but about the civil justice system. 'Frivolous lawsuits,' ' greedy trial lawyers,' ' jackpot justice.' Those words were used to play on people's emotions. Nobody talks about frivolous defenses. I kept thinking somebody else was going to deal with it. Then finally I said, 'Ok, it's me.'" Q: So did you just go out and buy a camera? A: "In 2002 I had a very severely brain-injured client. She had almost no short-term memory. When you met her, she looked normal, but if you walked away and came back 15 minutes later, she wouldn't even know she'd ever seen you before. I couldn't explain to the other side what this injury meant for her life. So, I thought, I'm going to get a camera and spend three days with her and see what happens. I realized how effective story telling is through film." Q: How did you finance the film? A: "I raised money person by person, house party by house party. It was all donations. We also used the Independent Feature Project as a sponsor." Q: Do you have any concerns that the film should be more balanced? A: "I do not apologize for having a point of view. Everybody knows the other side. Nobody knows this side. I don't want say that people have to agree with me, but at least open your mind that there's another side of the story." Q: What's your view about frivolous lawsuits? Does the legal system handle them effectively? A: "What is the definition of a frivolous lawsuit? Because what's frivolous to you may not be frivolous to me. Everyone thinks that the McDonald's coffee case is frivolous until they see my film." Q: Do you find anything encouraging about the state of civil justice in America right now? A: "The hope is that people are watching this film and getting angry and wanting to do something. Nobody wants to talk about mandatory arbitration. Nobody wants to talk about tort reform. These words are like blah blah blah, boring boring boring, until something happens to you or a family member or a close friend." (Editing by Jill Serjeant) Entertainment Fashion Film Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Social Stream (What's this?) © Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Analyst Research Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service Reuters on Facebook Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Radioactive water leaks from Tepco plant |
China Premier's call for reform draws accolades, and barbs |
South China Sea disputes could lead to war in Asia: think tank |
Peralta RBI triple keys rally in eighth as Tigers knock off Blue Jays
China says Sudan split on agenda as Bashir visits |
Ex-N.C. State basketball star Lorenzo Charles, 47, dead in bus crash
Women's World Cup: Japan edges New Zealand, Mexico-England forge tie
Venezuela opposition demand info on Chavez's health |
Michael Jackson "Thriller" Jacket sells for big bucks
Eton's ancient game thrives in Nigeria |
Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music Label Signed to Def Jam
Pauly D calls current "Jersey Shore" cast "Irreplaceable"
Erik Compton brings new meaning to "heart" with Nationwide victory in Mexico
Barbra Streisand returns with “What Matters Most”
Former Illinois Governor Blagojevich convicted on several corruption charges
Analysis: Where does Cheick Kongo's epic comeback win rank in UFC history?
Microsoft puts Office in the cloud, confronts Google |
Sony says protecting content made it hackers' target |
Supreme Court to decide police GPS tracking case |
Chatting, texts, now apps distract young drivers |
Second proxy firm advises RIM CEO/chairman split |
British teen hacker suspect granted bail |
Venture firms seek light green tech bets |
TomTom guides lower again as consumers flee |
Lady Gaga sued over Japan earthquake charity bracelets |
Hugh Hefner's new girlfriend a Canadian Playmate |
Controversial Chuck Berry statue approved in St Louis |
Hot Coffee shows other side of frivolous lawsuits |
Alicia Keys backs Broadway play about black America |
Greek police clash with austerity protesters |
Prosecutor sees Gaddafi endgame, China cautious |
Flotilla activists seek blood: Israeli FM |
Yemen may retake oil pipeline, crisis persists |
Syrian opposition tells Russia: make Assad resign |
Senegal deploys extra troops as power cuts enrage |
Chavez health saga keeps Venezuela guessing |
Met Life in talks for naming rights to New Meadowlands Stadium
Argentine president cancels trip on health grounds |
Google boasts 500,000 Android activations per day |
Chicago business executive Hulsizer out of running to purchase Coyotes
Mobile banking to help 2 billion people by 2020: study |
Jennifer Aniston reveals tattoo is in 'homage' to her dog
Google faces damages claim from French rival 1PlusV |
British teen hacker suspect granted bail |
Weeks before independence, South Sudan teeters
Tom Hanks says there's more 'Toy Story' in the works
Hugh Hefner lines up another 25-year-old 'girlfriend'
AU Optronics hits Samsung with patent countersuit |
Cee Lo Green pulls out of Rihanna's tour
'Mob Wives' star Renee Graziano undergoes $30,000 full-body lift
Five pounds of cocaine discovered in shoes in abandoned luggage
Bearded Mickey Mouse causes stir in Egypt
Actress Yeoh blacklisted, deported from Myanmar |
Hugh Hefner's new girlfriend a Canadian Playmate |
BET Awards gets ratings boost amid on-stage snafu |
Mud rivals music at Glastonbury festival |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01