She won because McDonald's was serving their coffee at a temperature of 185 degrees, a temperature that produces 3rd degree burns almost instantly, is higher than other restaurants commonly serve their coffee, and was known by McDonald's to be a safety hazard as evidenced by the plethora of complaints they had already received about their dangerously hot coffee. And she was found to be 20% at fault, so it isn't as though the court didn't take her participation into account. But in other words, it wasn't an accident. 
  
And ya wanna bet she knew this?   
  
20% responsible?  Did McDonald's tell her to put the cup in her lap?  
  
This is so sad that personal responsibility has taken a back set to "Who can I blame".