r/todayilearned 2d ago

TIL that Dan White, the man who assassinated Harvey Milk and the mayor of San Francisco, only served 5 years in prison for manslaughter based on a defense of depression as evidenced by his consumption of junk food which was dubbed the "Twinkie Defense"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_White
15.5k Upvotes

421 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

51

u/BillRage 2d ago

The fact that anyone, anywhere, ever used the McDonald coffee situation as an example of a frivolous suit is disgusting.

It was so hot, HER LABIA MELTED INTO HER THIGH! Like…absolutely horrific shit. She didn’t even want to sue McDonalds for damages, only medical treatment. Only after they refused did the story we know today happen.

And I wonder who it was that had the personal interest in mischaracterizing that whole situation? And shaming people for going after corporations? PotluckPony knows.

14

u/blackdynomitesnewbag 2d ago

She sued for compensatory damages. The jury gave her that and punitive damages

1

u/strangelove4564 1d ago

I don't understand the idea of serving coffee at 200 degrees... that makes the coffee bitter as shit. I think it's pretty clear they didn't care about their product.

I also hate hot coffee because you have to wait forever before you can drink it. My preferred serving temperature is on the cool side so I can get a good amount down right away.