Ray Hrdlicka – Host – Attorneys.Media
“One of the issues I want to help correct…the misconception that the public has, and that is derived from that infamous McDonald’s coffee case. I always wanted to bring this up and get a perspective from an attorney. Because that has skewed so many of the general public’s opinion of…’what am I going to get out of this case? What can I do? Go to McDonald’s and have them spill hot coffee on me?’ Now, you’re going, of course, to confirm this, but I know that the appellate court overturned that award, but how did it get there in the first place?”
Andrew Dósa – Personal Injury Attorney – Alameda County, CA
“Well, the thing that’s significant to remember is that the person did get a settlement of that case. There was a litigation and it was a significant fight. But what was significant to me was, among other things, McDonald’s had settled more than 600 claims by people who were burned because the coffee was too hot. So, in response…”
Ray Hrdlicka – Host – Attorneys.Media
“There was a pattern.”
Andrew Dósa – Personal Injury Attorney – Alameda County, CA
“There was a pattern of behavior. Most people don’t remember the McDonald’s case. It’s for those of us, like you and me, that are a little older and more mature. But there’s another case that’s a good example. And that’s the Ford Pinto case.
Ford engineers determined that they could make more money selling that Pinto without a $12 part. And that $12 part had such an impact on the profit line, that they chose not to put that $12 part in there. Which would have saved several people from danger. But the simple cost of that part, spread over the sales of the hundreds of thousands of Pintos, they calculated that even if there were death claims, they would spend more than paying the claims of those people that were harmed or were bringing a claim because of a death caused to a loved one, than they were going to have to pay if they had purchased that $12 part.”
Ray Hrdlicka – Host – Attorneys.Media
“Now, wait a minute. Did that actually come out in the case? That that was their decision?”
Andrew Dósa – Personal Injury Attorney – Alameda County, CA
“That came out. That came out on the part. It was a calculated decision by somebody wearing a white suit, using a slide rule in some darkened room somewhere…”
Ray Hrdlicka – Host – Attorneys.Media
“That is insane.”
Andrew Dósa – Personal Injury Attorney – Alameda County, CA
“It is insane. You can’t grow a whole lot of affection for a corporation that’s willing to recognize that its product is going to harm some people, and its costs is going to be greater if it would solve the harm. It would buy a part, and add a part that would reduce that harm, the possibility of harm….I mean, it just boggles the mind.”
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