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"Hot Coffee" - A movie on Tort Reform and Frivolous Lawsuits

Trekker4747

Trekker4747

Boldly going...
Premium Member
An HBO exclusive Documentary movie on the state of the legal system in the U.S. Centered around the infamous Stella Liebeck "hot coffee"/McDonald's case from the late 90s but also features the case of a couple effected by Tort Reform when their damages were capped at well less than their estimated losses when a negligent doctor caused serious harm to their child, the case of Jamie Leigh Jones who was allegedly raped by co-workers in Iraq while working for Halliburton but was unable to sue the company for allowing the workplace situation due to a arbitration agreement in her contract and of a state judge impacted by politics and lobby groups when his rulings did not jive with special interest groups and local politicians.

Very interesting little movie that I think casts a lot of light on the problems in the legal system today and not in the way you commonly think. It's available on DVD as well I suspect it'd be on Netflix or on HBO OnDemand.
 
I definitely think we need some pretty serious tort reform in this country. McDonald's had to pay millions of dollars just because that women spilled coffee on herself while she was driving, and now we all have to pay more for our food to make up for it? Ridiculous.

A little self respect and responsibility will go a long way towards making this country better. Thanks for the heads up, I'll look for this film!
 
I'm not going to rehash my arguments here, only say that you're way wrong on the "hot coffee" case and you need to research the facts of it.

I'll point you in the RGHT DIRECTION.

The movie takes a pro-Liebeck and anti-Tort Reform stance and makes pretty good arguments against Tort Reform, namely by punishing the few who abuse the system you also punishing the countless others with real claims they need to be compensated for.

In the case of the malpractice suit a couple's child was severely brain-damaged in-utero due to a lack of action the mother's doctors. It was determined that as a result of this the child would need close to $6m in care over the course of his life time; again all due to the actions of a doctors (the centerpiece of which had already a history of malpractice.) Due to their state's "Tort Reform" laws they were only entitled to around $1.5m, as a result the child isn't able to get the full range and quality of care he needs and the medical bills are being partly covered by Medicaid (tax payers.)

All because of Tort Reform.

So because some nut-case lawyer in Colorado likes to go around suing a family dry-cleaner for millions of dollars over the damaging of a suit (a better example of civil law abuse) shouldn't mean that everyone, including people with legit claims, should have to suffer over the negligence of others.

Tort Reform has been mis-represented by the media and government officials with the interests of big businesses in their pockets which also severely mis-presented the Liebeck Hot Coffee case to the public.
 
Trekker4747 said:
I'm not going to rehash my arguments here
Click to expand...

Thank the gods. You've already mentioned it dozens of times in the last few weeks, and I for one was getting sick of it. "Yes, we get it, can we move on to the subject of the thread, please?"
 
I ate McDonald's ice cream once, and I got a major freeze ache! Where are my millions?!?!?! :lol: ;)
 
One time I had this pizza that was slightly burnt and I'd like to know why I didn't get a huge payout for that.
 
You should read the book that was promoted on Colbert last week if you haven't seen it, Trekker. Forgot what it's called, but the woman who wrote it made the same arguments about the coffee case you always make, I think you'd enjoy it.
 
Ghost of Toht said:
I definitely think we need some pretty serious tort reform in this country. McDonald's had to pay millions of dollars just because that women spilled coffee on herself while she was driving, and now we all have to pay more for our food to make up for it? Ridiculous.
Click to expand...

She wasn't driving. The car was not moving at all, in fact, at that time.
 
Roger Wilco said:
You should read the book that was promoted on Colbert last week if you haven't seen it, Trekker. Forgot what it's called, but the woman who wrote it made the same arguments about the coffee case you always make, I think you'd enjoy it.
Click to expand...

It wasn't a book. She was the director of the documentary the thread is about.
 
Mr. Laser Beam said:
Ghost of Toht said:
I definitely think we need some pretty serious tort reform in this country. McDonald's had to pay millions of dollars just because that women spilled coffee on herself while she was driving, and now we all have to pay more for our food to make up for it? Ridiculous.
Click to expand...

She wasn't driving. The car was not moving at all, in fact, at that time.
Click to expand...


Thanks champ, I know. I was just making a joke, because of Trekker's history with this topic. ;)
 
So you were saying something in order to elicit a strong reaction from someone.

Hmmmm. I think there's a term for that....
 
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The problem with using "elicit" is that I immediately follow the word up in my mind with "sexual behavior". Thus causing a disconnect with the remainder of what ever I am reading.
 
Trekker4747 said:
So you were saying something in order to elicit a strong reaction from someone.

Hmmmm. I think there's a term for that....
Click to expand...

Humor?

Nah, not in this place.

sojourner said:
The problem with using "elicit" is that I immediately follow the word up in my mind with "sexual behavior". Thus causing a disconnect with the remainder of what ever I am reading.
Click to expand...

You should probably sue yourself for millions of dollars.
 
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