When news outlets try to distill a complex story into a short blurb or a 30-second news bite, the details often get distorted. It doesn't help that so many people only read the headlines. The 1994 lawsuit against McDonald's over hot coffee became the ultimate example of a frivolous lawsuit, but when you dig into the details, it is revealed to have been anything but frivolous. LegalEagle explains what really happened. The McDonald's case takes only the first six minutes; afterward there are other cases of "frivolous" lawsuits that were more substantial than they appeared at first glance. -via Digg
Newest 2 Comments
So, the guy who claims that the press oversimplifies lawsuits is hawking a newsletter that condenses a day’s news into five minutes.
Abusive comment hidden.
(Show it anyway.)
I remember the McDonald's suit. It was a front page story on the WSJ. It was a good lesson for me on news reporting.
Abusive comment hidden.
(Show it anyway.)