Weird History Food is taking you back to the 90s for McDonald's Hot Coffee Lawsuit. Over the years, the McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit has become heavily associated with the supposed epidemic of frivolous lawsuits in the United States. Most people see the case as the story of a woman who clumsily spilled coffee on her own lap and sued McDonald's in retaliation. However, that is largely untrue and only a fraction of the story. The McDonald's coffee lawsuit was really serious. Stella Liebeck, who spilled coffee on her lap on February 27, 1992, suffered serious burns that required hospitalization.