Georgia Woman Wins $3 Million In Settlement Against Dunkin’ Donuts For Hot Coffee Spill

A 70-year-old Georgia woman has been awarded $3 million in a lawsuit settlement after suffering severe burns from a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.  

In a press release, her lawyer said that the woman had to relearn skills such as walking and struggles with daily activities after she was burned by the cup of coffee in 2021. 

“America may run on Dunkin’, but our client had to re-learn how to walk due to the severity of her burns,” her attorney Benjamin Welch said in a statement. “We alleged that the spill never would have happened had the drive-thru employee properly secured the lid on our client’s coffee cup.”

The woman went to a drive-thru in Sugar Hill, Georgia, and ordered a cup of hot coffee. After the employee handed her the beverage, the lid came off, which spilled the coffee all over her that caused second and third-degree burns to her thighs, groin and abdomen.

Her injuries have resulted in over $200,000 in medical bills. The lawsuit argues that the accident wouldn’t have occurred if the drive-in employee secured the lid properly on the cup.

Golden Donuts, LLC, the franchisee that operates the Dunkin’ location, agreed to the $3 million settlement.

There have been similar notable cases where massive food chains have been sued for overheated coffee.

McDonald’s faced a similar lawsuit decades ago in which a woman spilled coffee on her lap and suffered third degree burns.

The company is also facing another similar lawsuit in which a San Francisco woman was served a “scalding” cup of coffee with an improperly attached lid, which also caused severe burns to the customer.

In July, an 8-year-old Florida girl was awarded $800,000 after being burned by a Chicken McNugget.