Ethical Dilemma
A lawsuit a few years ago made headlines worldwide when a
McDonald’s drive-through customer spilled a cup of scalding
hot coffee on herself. Claiming the coffee was too hot to
be safely consumed in a car, the badly burned 80-year-old
woman won $2.9 million in court. (The judge later reduced
the award to $640,000.) McDonald’s claimed the product
was served to the correct specifications and was of proper
quality. Further, the cup read “Caution—Contents May
Be Hot.” McDonald’s coffee, at 180º, is substantially hotter
(by corporate rule) than typical restaurant coffee, despite
hundreds of coffee-scalding complaints in the past 10 years.
Similar court cases, incidentally, resulted in smaller verdicts,
but again in favor of the plaintiffs. For example, Motor City
Bagel Shop was sued for a spilled cup of coffee by a drivethrough
patron, and Starbucks by a customer who spilled
coffee on her own ankle.
Are McDonald’s, Motor City, and Starbucks at fault in
situations such as these? How do quality and ethics enter into
these cases?
How can this issue be addressed from a Christian worldview? What guidance from a Biblical perspective could be apllied to understand and possibly resolve the dilemma? Paper should include 6 external citations.
0 comments