The hot coffee lawsuit was so good, the U.S. just couldn't keep it to itself. Even in Russia, people are prepared to say that they did not understand the dangers of hot beverages. This article from the Russian News & Information Agency reports that the woman claimed she suffered permanent scarring from her burns from a spilled cup of McDonald's coffee. Plaintiff demands 100,000 rubles for "moral damages" and 400 rubles for damage to her health. If you think that doesn't sound like a lot, you're a good converter of rubles to dollars -- one dollar equals 28.68 rubles. Using this conversion rate, the Russian plaintiff seeks the U.S. dollar equivalent of about $3,500 in moral damages and $14 for damage to her health.
This lawsuit is unprecedented in Russia and there is significant debate over whether it can proceed. McDonald's denies any liability.
Posted by franchiselawblog at November 15, 2004 06:07 PM