Hot Coffee

Plot Summary

Everyone knows the case of the woman who sued McDonald's over spilled coffee. Or do they? More than 15 years after making international news, the case continues to be cited as an example of citizens who use "frivolous" lawsuits to take unfair advantage of the American legal system. But is that an accurate portrayal of the facts? An eye-opening documentary with jaw-dropping revelations, HOT COFFEE exposes how corporations spend millions on propaganda campaigns to distort Americans' view of lawsuits—forever changing the civil justice system. By examining the impact of tort reform on the lives of ordinary citizens, the film shows how Americans give up their Constitutional rights in all sorts of ways without knowing it, for example, by voting for caps on damages or signing away your rights in contracts. Through interviews with politicians, judges, lawyers and ordinary citizens, first-time filmmaker and former public-interest lawyer Susan Saladoff delves into the facts of four cases to tear apart the conventional wisdom about "jackpot justice."