Over the years there have been a number of lawsuits from consumers over hot beverage burns. But one recent suit has taken a dramatic turn, after the woman who filed the complaint has been accused of using photos from the internet to bolster her hot coffee case against McDonald’s.
CBS Los Angeles reports that the 38-year-old woman faces nearly two dozen felony counts of insurance and workers’ compensation fraud for using internet images in her lawsuit against McDonald’s for second-degree burns she says were a result of spilled coffee.
The woman was taken into custody on 21 felony counts in all, including submitting a fraudulent insurance claim, false statements and false evidence associated with an alleged fraudulent claim, according to California Department of Insurance officials.
Originally the woman had filed a suit against McDonald’s claiming that in January 2013 hot coffee spilled on her right hand when she was handed a cup with an unsecured lid in the drive-thru.
Authorities say the woman’s complaint included photos of a hand with second-degree burns and counterfeit documentation of treatment she claims to have received from a hospital.
According to state insurance officials, detectives say they later discovered that some of the photos had been copied from a hospital website.
“By copying legitimate burn photos from the Internet, [she] attempted to make a profit from another person’s pain and suffering and for this she will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said.
The woman was released on her own recognizance and is due in court next week.
McDonald’s Customer Arrested In ‘Bogus’ Coffee Burn Photos [CBS Local]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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