Liebeck v. McDonald 's Restaurants , also known as the `` McDonald 's coffee case , '' is a 1994 product liability lawsuit that became a flashpoint in the debate in the U.S. over tort reform after a jury awarded $ 2.86 million to a woman who burned herself with hot coffee she purchased from fast food restaurant McDonald 's . Liebeck v. McDonald 's Restaurants , also known as the McDonald 's coffee case and the hot coffee lawsuit , is a 1994 product liability lawsuit that became a flashpoint in the debate in the U.S. over tort reform after a jury awarded $ 2.86 million to a woman who burned herself with hot coffee she purchased from fast food restaurant McDonald 's .