1: Who hasn't spilled hot coffee on themself, either unavoidably or in a moment of stupidity?
2: When you spill hot coffee on yourself, you generally get discomfort or a very minor burn.
3: McDonalds had been warned repeatedly about coffee so hot it was a serious hazard.
4: The lady may have done something stupid, but the #@%^& coffee was so hot she had to have major skin grafts.

There are a lot of extreme examples of large awards to people who didn't deserve a red cent for taking up the courts time; it's too bad that this case is constantly cited as a prime example.