A tourist from South Florida who had a pot of 180-degree coffee spilled into his lap while at a Disney character breakfast has been awarded $668,000 by an Orange County jury, the man's lawyer said Wednesday.
The pot fell off a tray carried at shoulder height by a waitress at the Polynesian Resort's Ohana Feast. The three-day civil trial before Orange Circuit Judge William C. Gridley showed coffee was not supposed to be carried that way, Miami lawyer John Elliott Leighton said.
Andrew Allocco, 33, was visiting Disney two years ago with his wife, Elizabeth, and their 2-year-old daughter when the incident took place. Testimony showed Allocco suffered extensive blistering as well as pigmentation changes to his genitals and groin from the upended 28-ounce pot of coffee on Oct. 7, 2001.
The award last week included $50,000 for future medical care and $100,000 to Allocco's wife for "loss of consortium."
"Disney claimed my client had been planning the lawsuit from the moment the incident happened," Leighton said. "He wanted a jury to decide if he was exaggerating."
Orlando lawyer Kurt M. Spengler, who represented Disney, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Allocco, a former police officer, holds Federal Aviation Administration fixed-wing and helicopter licenses but has been unable to fly since the accident. A prescribed drug he takes for nerve pain is prohibited for pilots.
The country's best-known lawsuit over spilled coffee resulted in a $2.9 million award against McDonald's restaurants in 1994. The award to an Albuquerque, N.M., woman was reduced on appeal to $480,000 and then settled out of court.
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