Woman sues McDonald's over hot coffee spill nearly thirty years after the original infamous coffee lawsuit

• A San Francisco woman is suing McDonald's over a hot coffee that spilled and burned her.
• The lawsuit claims employees did not properly secure the lid on the woman's coffee.

Thirty years after an infamous McDonald's lawsuit over spilled coffee, another woman is suing the fast-food chain, claiming a cup of scalding hot coffee burned her.

In the lawsuit, Mable Childress said she purchased a cup of coffee in June from a San Francisco McDonald's drive-thru and employees did not properly secure the lid. The coffee spilled and gave her severe burns in her groin area, the court filing said.

According to the filing, Childress attempted to report the incident to three restaurant employees, but they "ignored her" and "refused to help." She is seeking compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and other damages not specified in the filing.

"My restaurants have strict food safety protocols in place, including training crew to ensure lids on hot beverages are secure," Peter Ou, the McDonald's franchisee who operates the San Francisco store, told Insider in a statement. "We take every customer complaint seriously – and when Ms. Childress reported her experience to us later that day, our employees and management team spoke to her within a few minutes and offered assistance. We're reviewing this new legal claim in detail."

This isn't the first time McDonald's has been accused of burning customers.

The most famous scalding incident came in 1994 when 79-year-old Stella Liebeck sued McDonald's for a hot coffee burn. The case drew headlines and started a debate about frivolous lawsuits.

Liebeck initially received a $2.9 million jury award after receiving third-degree burns from spilled McDonald's coffee. A judge reduced Liebeck's award to about $650,000. The case, which was made into a documentary, ultimately settled for about $500,000.

Years later in 2014, a Los Angeles woman sued McDonald's for allegedly serving her a hot coffee drink that badly burned her. It's unclear how that case was settled.

In July, a Florida jury awarded $800,000 in damages to a 7-year-old girl who got second-degree burns after a chicken McNugget fell on her thigh.