Abnormal Use Cited in Today’s New York Times on “Hot Coffee” Documentary

With all the talk about Plaintiff’s attorney Susan Saladoff’s new documentary, “Hot Coffee” and the Stella Liebeck McDonald’s hot coffee case, we here at Abnormal Use are also making the media rounds.  Today, a New York Times write-up on Saladoff’s documentary – which premieres on HBO tomorrow  – quotes one of our earlier posts noting would be documentarian Saladoff’s decades-long background as a prominent Plaintiff’s attorney.  Here’s the excerpt in question from the piece by Times legal correspondent John Schwartz:

With a subject this fought-over it’s not surprising that the documentary itself has been controversial. A legal affairs blog that covers product liability law, Abnormal Use, criticized the film for having come from the hands of a trial lawyer, stating, “We’re thinking that this might not be the most objective documentary on the subject.”

Of course that wasn’t really the filmmaker’s goal. Ms. Saladoff is, as a lawyer and now a director, an advocate. One of several strands in the film, Ms. Liebeck’s story shows how tort reformers deftly spun her case and others to nudge public opinion and argue for the need to shut down what industry advocates called “jackpot justice.” The film also lays out facts of the case that are rarely heard.

Schwartz quotes directly from this prior blog post of ours, which we ran back in January. Of course, The Times, being The Times, attempts to cover for the anti-tort reform filmmaker against our charges of potential bias. (Maybe The Times is still miffed at us for scooping them on our “Views of 2011 from 1931” story last December.).  As always, if you’re looking for more information on the Liebeck case, please see our comprehensive FAQ.

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