California Woman Sues McDonald’s Over Coffee Burns

October 25, 2013

A Fresno, Calif., woman who says she suffered second-degree burns when she spilled hot coffee on her lap at the drive-up window of a McDonald’s has filed suit against the fast-food chain.

The Fresno Bee reports 74-year-old Joan Fino’s lawsuit seeks more than $2 million in damages.

The Clovis woman says she’s had trouble sleeping since the incident in August 2012 because “the burning sensation doesn’t go away.”

A lawyer for McDonald’s could not be reached. But Fino’s attorney, Nicholas Wagner, said he’s been in touch with McDonald’s in hopes of reaching a settlement.

If a settlement isn’t reached, Wagner said he and Fino plan to present their case to a Fresno jury.

In 1992, a similar case made national headlines. A New Mexico woman who said she was burned by McDonald’s coffee was awarded $2.9 million.