Family of Toddler Burned by Denny's Coffee Wins $500,000 Settlement

The family of a young girl who was burned by coffee at a Denny's in upstate New York has won a $500,000 settlement. According to the Buffalo News, the family had sued the owners a Denny's in 2012, two years after their daughter — who was 14 months old at the time — grabbed a hot cup of coffee and spilled it on herself. The little girl ended up suffering from first- and second-degree burns on her neck, abdomen, and chest.

The family argued that the "waitress was negligent in placing the coffee within the infant's reach" and provided evidence that the burns will require a "lifetime medical care at a cost of more than $340,000." The case finally went to trial and the insurance company of the now-closed Denny's offered to compensate the family half a million dollars.

Denny's is not the first restaurant to be sued over a scalding cup of coffee. Perhaps the most famous coffee case occurred back in the '90s when 79-year-old Stella Liebeck famously sued McDonald's over how hot their coffee was. Liebeck suffered third-degree burns from the coffee, which, at the time, was being served at temperatures between 180 and 190 degrees. She also won around $500,000.