I was not aware the coffee woman received third-degree burns; I did not realize this was possible from hot liquid unless it was absolutely boiling. My mother burned herself with bubbling tomato sauce (which tends to stick to the skin) on her stomach and the burns were only second degree. It sounds like this woman did not receive proper first aid quickly enough (did she receive any? That does not apear in the account posted) and if someone had acted more quickly perhaps her burns would have been less severe. Even so, I never called her greedy or foolish (though I think it is somewhat stupid to try and fiddle with hot drinks in the car). But this sort of court case has certainly set a standard, perhaps less clear-cut and more dishonest, for people to try and blame a company for injury caused by their own negligence, and to expect their lawyers to demand huge settlements.