MichieHamlett Hosts Screening of Hot Coffee Documentary

May 6, 2010

On May 3, MichieHamlett attorneys Greg Webb and Gary Kendall were pleased to host a screening of the documentary Hot Coffee. About 20 invitees viewed the movie in the Albemarle County Circuit Court, where Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and James Madison all practiced law. This was a fitting venue for a movie exploring how the average American has limited access to the legal system. After the screening, participants gathered in the MichieHamlett lobby for a short reception and a chance to chat with the film’s director, Susan Saladoff. Susan is a graduate of Cornell University and George Washington Law School, and has spent the last twenty-five years practicing law in the civil justice system. She is currently traveling around the country raising funds to complete the documentary. In Hot Coffee, Stella Liebeck’s personal legal battle over a spilled cup of coffee serves as a springboard into understanding our civil justice system. While most people think they know the “McDonald’s coffee case,” they don’t know that corporations have spent millions distorting the case to protect business assets while limiting access to the courts. Since Stella’s fateful day, big business, with the aid of the political and media lapdogs that depend on it, has brewed a dangerous concoction of manipulation, distortions and outright lies to protect corporate interests. Americans are convinced that we have out of control juries, too many frivolous lawsuits and a judicial system that needs reforming. Hot Coffee follows the money behind these campaigns to show our audience that many of their long-held beliefs about our civil justice system have, in effect, been paid for by corporate America.

In addition to Stella’s story, three other storylines will be in the completed movie, the stories of the downfall of former State Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz; rape victim Jamie Leigh Jones, a private contractor in Iraq who unknowingly gave up her right to a jury trial; and Colin Gourley, who was born with cerebral palsy due to medical malpractice.

You may join the Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/hotcoffeethemovie. For more information about the movie, go to http://www.hotcoffeethemovie.com. Donations may be made on this website, and they are 100% tax deductible.

For additional information, Contact Maggie Pearson, MichieHamlett, 434.951.7265 or by Email

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