Hot Coffee

Objective

Compare and contrast two case studies and explain how the rules of negligence apply to each.

Instructions

Americans have a reputation for being extremely litigious and starting baseless lawsuits. For this assignment, first watch the video supplement in this module about the infamous McDonald's hot coffee case, a lawsuit that gained notoriety due to media coverage. Then read about a similar case involving Starbucks and a man in North Carolina (you may need to open this link in an Incognito Chrome tab). You may wish to do some more research for news articles that include other details of the events. In an essay of at least 500 words answer the following questions. This word count does not include citations to your sources in APA format. Citations are required if you use sources in your writing. Without citations and appropriate attribution of quotations and other information, I will consider your work to be in violation of the student academic integrity policy. You will receive a zero for the assignment and possibly additional disciplinary action.

Identify the four elements that must be proven to establish negligence.

With respect to the McDonald's case, describe how the plaintiff, Stella Liebeck, was able to prove each of the 4 elements of negligence.

Compare the McDonald's case with the Starbucks case. Which of the requirements of negligence were missing?

Do you think it fair that these two cases ended with opposite results in light of the rules for establishing negligence? Explain your answer.