News

McDonald's feels the heat from lawsuit

August 26, 2010

A Chicago-area mother has sued McDonald's, claiming its hot chocolate badly burned her daughter in April 2009.

Vicki LaRocco is seeking more than $50,000 worth in compensation to cover her daughter's medical bills. The suit was filed this week in Cook County Circuit Court.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, the suit claims the hot chocolate served was "too hot for consumption," especially for children, and that McDonald's failed to adequately secure the lid.

LaRocco's lawyer, Eric Krumdick, said the 10-year-old girl has a scar resulting from second- and third-degree burns sustained in the incident.

The chain was also sued in 1994 by a resident in New Mexico who was burned by coffee. She was initially awarded more than $2 million in the case, an amount that was later lowered.

A Texas woman brought forth a similar suit in 2007, claiming McDonald's failed to warn her that coffee is served hot after she spilled the drink in her lap.