Origin of the Stella Awards:

In 1994, a New Mexico jury awarded $2.9 million U.S. in damages to 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who suffered third-degree burns to her legs, groin and buttocks after spilling a cup of McDonald's coffee on herself.

This case inspired an annual award - The "Stella" Award -for the most frivolous lawsuit in the U.S. The ones listed below are clear candidates.

1. January 2000: Kathleen Robertson of Austin Texas was awarded  $780,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping  over a toddler who was running amuck inside a furniture store. The  owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict,  considering the misbehaving little rodent was Ms. Robertson's son.

2. June 1998: 19 year old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a  Honda Accord. Mr. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car, when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.

3. October 1998: Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania was  leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage.  He was not able to get the garage door to go up, because the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He couldn't re-enter the  house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when  he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation. Mr. Dickson found  himself locked in the garage for eight days. He subsisted on a  case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food.  Mr.  Dickson sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of half a million dollars.

4. October 1999: Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas was awarded $14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door neighbor's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced-in yard, as was Mr. Williams. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog may have been provoked by Mr. Williams who, at the time, was shooting it  repeatedly with a pellet gun.

5. May 2000: A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania $113,500 after she slipped on soft drink and broke her coccyx. The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson threw it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.

6. December 1997: Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware successfully sued the owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out her two front teeth. This occurred while Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the window in the ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.

7. And just so you know that cooler heads do occasionally prevail: Kenmore Inc., the makers of Dorothy Johnson's microwave, were found not liable for the death of Mrs. Johnson's poodle after she gave it a bath and attempted to dry it by putting the poor creature in her microwave for, "just a few minutes, on low," The case was quickly dismissed

Funny, and believable, but urban legend.

You evidently did not see the dozens of news articles about the McDonalds coffee case. Not only was it not urban myth, but after originally sympathizing with McDoanlds in spite of their crappy food and service locally, I learned that they kept their coffee far hotter than necessary - think it had something to do with making a pot last longer.  Anyway, it still seemed stupid, just not quite as stupid. after that