ZeroHedge article with their typical bait title.
Some of the comments expand further on why this happened (no surprise, the insurance company being a POS to their paying customer):
Geico let the lawsuit go on through judgment without defending its insured as required by the contract for which the insured paid premiums. Poor guy had a multi-million dollar judgment entered against him. Another judge later found that Geico should have defended its insured. Geico said, okay, let's start over then and retry the original case. Court said no, you should have defended your insured from the get-go.
That's why it is Geico's fault. If you're ever sued for something stupid and your insurance company that you've been paying for years to defend you from such lawsuits tells you to pound sand due to some technicality, you would get it.
Wasn't driving when it happened (they were parked). Was hotter than you'd expect (185 degrees and 20-30 degrees hotter than most places that served coffee). Yes, she did try to hold it between her knees like an idiot. That said, no one expects coffee to cause a 7 day hospital stay just because you spilled it on yourself. McDonalds initially refused to pay more than $800. The jury awarded a shitton of punitive damages.
https://www.findlaw.com/injury/product-liability/the-mcdonald-s-coffee-cup-case-separating-mcfacts-from-mcfiction.html
Tort law being used against massive mega corporations is generally a good thing, not a bad thing.
(that said, used against small businesses, very destructive)
Also, mass torts (like used against 'asbestos' companies) is a total fucking grift and has caused many unjustified bankruptcies, but it is also might be the tool by which we can destroy shit like trans groomers in the future, so just remember to use it when the tide turns.
But anyways, takeaway: the McDonalds plaintiff and their lawyer were the good guys. Giving millions of customers far hotter than necessary coffee should result in lawsuits.
I honestly don't agree. The ridiculous award in that case was the first major blow in the dissolving of common sense in America. Almost overnight products began to be covered with ridiculous disclaimers and warnings, because companies found themselves in a position to be held liable for absurd amounts due solely to the stupidity of the customer. That's why the instruction manual for the sim card on my phone is half a page of actual instructions and 27 friggin pages of disclaimers in four different languages.
I will never call anyone who is the vanguard of the retardation of society a "good guy".