Or she was browsing YT one day and listened to part of a Steve Lehto video about consumer protection laws and thought, "Hey! I could make a mint from Kraft over their pesky claims on the box of Mac N Cheese!"
My dad had his bladder removed and during that surgery the doctor left in a sponge. Later in post-op and recovery (he was in the hospital for several days), he developed a high fever and his organs started shutting down. They realized their mistake (which nearly killed him) and was actually put into a medical coma while they opened him back up and removed the sponge. He was in ICU for two weeks before being moved to a room for further healing. I reached out to almost 20 lawyers trying to find one to take our case for medical malpractice and none did. It infuriates me to no end that something like this gets media and a lawyers attention. His hospital bill was over 276,000 dollars which the hospital did eat the cost after threatening to sue. My beef though was with the doctor and surgical team for their incompetence.
My mother had surgery on her stomach about 25 years ago. The doctor left the sponge in and needless to say, she gets quite thirsty...( I'll show myself to the door )
I had a lady friend who got a serious infection at a hospital when getting open heart surgery. Lawyers did not want to get involved because of her age. If somebody is old enough, there isn't as much of a claim for money damages. They aren't working anymore anyway so there are no "lost wages" and the "denial" of life's this or that is expected to only be for a short time until death anyway. In other words, an older person wasn't worth anything.
@@ericvoge6678 I've always felt that the average doctor had rather subpar troubleshooting skills compared to the average auto mechanic. So, I've set my mind on outliving all my doctors, dentists, optometrists, etc. So far so good. There may be a flaw in my plan somewhere, but it's been working fine so far.
Lawsuits like this are why the Justice system is clogged. Plaintiff should have to pay for defendants time and court costs if they lose. This might make some people think twice about stupid lawsuits
Idk, several decades ago an Austrian man tried to wipe out an entire race of people and take over the world just because he had daddy issues and was turned away from art school..... this lawsuit is pretty tame by comparison.
Robert Kolb said: "The fact that lawsuits like this exist at all, are a true sign that we are living in the most self serving privileged society to have ever existed." - So you believe the woman should have no right to sue?
I mean, I do agree that "ready in ..." is a distinctly different thing from "cooks in ..." But the other steps are "open," "remove," and "stir." If those are adding significant amounts of time, I think you have bigger things to worry about. Also, the box has instructions on it, doesn't it? All this lawsuit says is that you can't read a damn box.
Like the packets of peanuts you get on an aircraft. It states - Open packet before eating contents. To save themselves from ridiculous, frivilous lawsuits.
It does not say on the box, "Ready to eat in 3 1/2 minutes." It simply states, "Ready in 3 1/2 minutes." They have no control over how long you take to open the package and place it in the microwave. Besides, the full instructions are right there on the back of the package. I hate to break it to her, but her Girl Scout cookies are not made with real Girl Scouts either. New legal action!
Cases like this is how attorneys stay afloat. If these attorney's want to do something to actually help people, they should file a case against ebay for allowing the false warranty advertising.
You're cooking "pasta" in a microwave. You are not eating at a Michelin starred restaurant. Also, cooking times vary depending on the microwaves wattage.
@@billyyank5807 Cooking pasta takes nothing but hot water, a microwave gets water hot enough to cook pasta. Even a "Michelin starred restaurant" could use "microwave cooked" pasta and you'd never know the difference.
cooking times also very in your altitude above sea level, and if you are near the top of a high rise apartment, it could take longer then the 2nd floor.
Time to take the entire complaint class, and then tell them that, due to the complaint, they are now prohibited from buying, using or eating any Kraft product.
That would mean that anyone who wants to buy, use, and eat Kraft products would have to opt out of this class action. I think you underestimate how many people eat Kraft products. Opting out of a class is a pain in the neck. It would also be prohibitively expensive to send out the notices to the entire class, which would be several million people, and process the responses.
You know it'll be the workers and plant that'll get cut first leading to shortages I shop for people a lot of soldiers in barracks this will cause me major headaches bc the avg consumer won't care or won't understand these frivolous lawsuits frustrate me to no end!
Honestly she should be banned from lawsuiting any company for complaints- this is one of those annoying a-holes that don't actually care about the accusations but is just there for the money
So, how exactly do they calculate their damages? Edit: After hearing more of the explanation, it looks like the attorneys filing this case on behalf of the supposed class are looking to just get their attorney fees paid regardless of any negligible damages granted to the members of that class. It's a safe bet that they'll be padding their costs pretty extensively.
You've just described 95% of all class action lawsuits. They have absolutely nothing to do with providing the class with a meaningful settlement, and everything to do with the law firm pocketing $millions.
The damage requires Velveeta to develop a time machine and refund every member of the class action with 15 seconds of travel per cup of mac and cheese they brought.
true yet its the system is the system after exhausting direct requesting ya got to get a lawyer . (thank the government, the bar, and lawyers) they aren't playing by the same rules. got any good ideas?
This reminds me of trying to teach my son how to read product labels years ago. We were in the aisle with tomatoes and I was looking for diced tomatoes and my son grabbed a can and shouts "this one is 100% natural, let's go! " I responded with " arsenic is natural , it doesn't mean I want it in my tomatoes. "
A lot of these class action lawsuits are motivated by lawfirms looking for a payday. I'm part of a class action spam list and I get solicitations about whether I purchased certain items in the past every now and then. Their strategy is to find some legal technicality they think they can bring to court, then look for people who are interested in making money by being plaintiffs in the class action. It's typically not individuals who bring these to court because no attorney would ever take these.
Sounds like one of those frivolous prison lawsuits you hear about that are filed by prisoners who have nothing better to do than complain. "My 1000 Island dressing only had 998 Islands.. "
I remember one of my law professors in business college say that you can sue for anything. He told me of a case where a person sued her mother for giving birth to her. Whether or not you win the suit is another thing.
The best case scenario would be that they have to rebate $0.01 per cup sold. Just mail us your purchase receipt and we will send you a check for 1 cent for each unit you purchased.
Add in printing costs for the rebate check (say .10¢), postage (.55¢) and staff prep/mailing time ($22/hr+-) equals $22.64 + .01¢/cup per 3 claims avg. Internet transfer removes .65¢/claim. Just send me some coupons for free product instead.
Send in the form, and receipt, and you will get the rebate of 1c, but it will be in the form of a 1c coupon off, valid only at a store chain they do not normally shop at, and valid for 3 months from date of issue.
Curious about the small print that I've seen on almost every microwavable product - you know, the one that states that "cooking times may vary depending upon power level of the microwave?" Most items today are based upon a 1100 or 1200 watt microwave, so cooking it in a 750 watt desktop unit will take longer to reach the same levels of completion.
I just bought tonkotsu pho noodles with the same wording. I actually had the same thought when I put the tea kettle on to boil. Total time was closer to 6 minutes. The time to prepare was not a factor in purchasing the noodles so I decided not to sue. 😃
@@HenryLoenwind The instructions more than likely call for boiling water, thus it is expected that you have boiling water available before you begin preparing the meal.
When I was a teen, I lived in a house with a near-boiling water tap. It kept a small reservoir right at boiling, and you could just open the tap and pour that water for coffee, tea, or even (assuming you had one), a noodle bowl. Now I need to run a kettle to heat water for those purposes, and it adds a good bit of time. In the mac and cheese case, some time will be needed for setting the microwave and starting it, but that will vary a lot between microwave ovens. Some let you start it in a single button press, for 30 seconds, or for a minute, and then you can increase the time while it's running. Others don't, and (mercy me!) you might need several extra seconds for that step. Any responsible adult should recognize that these products have preparation time that varies, and that the most the manufacturer can really do is tell you the optimal cooking time. Even that may vary, if you have a less powerful microwave.
Imagine all of the amazing things these people could accomplish if they took the time and money they waste on these frivolous lawsuits and actually did something meaningful!
@@M167A1 Some thing for nothing. I can't believe that is the freaking stance you take. Are you in on it too? So freaking sad. Can't wait around another couple to 5 minutes for your mac and cheese to be ready is a sad indicator of how our world is going. Just like that freaking judge who ruled in favour of the person who boiled their lap with hot coffee from macdonalds. You make me sick.
My grandson walked up to me and said We have no tea and I said well make some. Yes,he's old enough to to know how. However,he didn't know how to make it and explained how to. He stopped me 75% in on how to make it and he told me that there is too many steps in making tea.And I said I hope that cottonmouth don't cause any damage lol
I usually follow a recipe for things I cook especially if I have not made them before. They tell you that it takes only 20-25 minutes yet it took me an hour to prepare everything before placing it into the oven where the 20-25 minutes takes effect. The prep time can vary drastically between person to person. How many distractions, how many trips to the bathroom, how much time looking for the proper utensils, how much time looking for the right sized bowls to mix things in, how much time to locate the right cooking pan etc. We all can't be Samantha Stevens and just wiggle our noses and things are magically done for you. Should I be able to sue every person and or company that produces recipe's that are "misleading" in the amount of time it takes?
I saw a similar claim on a package of pasta that I bought. I pointed it out to my wife and I laughed and said how much I wish I had the ability to boil water in 2 seconds like the makers of this pasta apparently had.
When I was looking over recipes for Thanksgiving, I would routinely see prep time separated from cooking time. For instance, 10 minutes prep time, 45 minutes cooking time. On every recipe I have ever looked at, I always double the prep time and figure there might be a few more minutes after that because I am not a professional prep cook. So if this lawsuit is successful, perhaps I will start some class action lawsuits against cookbooks and websites with recipes.
@@mistertor Class sction so that $20 will be split among the other 15k litigants. The lawyers will laugh all the way to the bank because they always get paid first.
@@patrickdurham8393 recipes are more of an advise, than an opinion. Copyright have nothing to do with liability. While suing a recipe writer over some timing mistakes would be frivolous, bad enough instructions can be ground for legit lawsuits (for example including poisonous ingredient, like saying add bleach to the food). Thankfully recipe writers don't usually include weird enough things to even risk a valid lawsuit.
I worked as a restaurant manager for many years, the most common complaint I dealt with always started with "every time I come in here [fill in the blank] happens". Yes I did regularly ask in response, "if it's always wrong then why keep coming back?". I had quite a number of complaints against me for poor customer service but luckily my area manager always backed me up.
You assume whatever the complaint is transcends the allure of the food. In other words, your clients were giving you feedback about their negative experiences and you responded with, "Why come back, then?" You assumed that the fact they kept coming back was enough that you need not actually address any concerns they had. Then you had customer complaints against you for poor customer service, but AMAZINGLY you are here trying to tell us how great you were at your job. You then fooled your boss into thinking you were doing a good job. You had quite a number of complaints against you for poor customer service... Objectively you were NOT doing a good job or you would have taken the complaints seriously instead of ignoring them just because the clients came back. I think you actually sucked at that job, but you think you were awesome (which you weren't)
Here’s one you’ll crack up from. A blond stats that she wanted no dairy in her salad. They bring it with an hard boiled egg, she complains that the egg is a dairy product because it’s in the dairy section of the store
I use the exact same product regularly. The cooking instructions are on every single bowl. I never once assumed that the total prep time was 3 1/2 minutes. Anyone who does is an absolute IDIOT. This whole lawsuit is a pile of BS and a cash grab
@@jamesweekley1087 i eat the same thing but if i bought it based on the fact it said ready in 3 and a half mins ... i by it just for the mac and cheese and i eat 2 of em at a time so it takes me 10 mins to cook anyways
Thanks Steve for taking one for the team and reading all that ....... !!! Have a great day, don't time your Mac n cheese, just eat it if you like it.....
When I was a child, there were these egg-shaped toys, called "Weebles." They had a heavy ballast at the bottom, and thus would always remain upright. They were marketed per the jingle, "Weebles wobble, but they don't fall DOWN" [Emphasis added]. I *pestered* my parents to buy this...because what child wouldn't want a toy with gravity-repellant properties? Imagine my disappointment, when my Weebles would fall DOWN all damn day; they just wouldn't fall OVER! I felt like Mork from Ork, trying to get the eggs to fly. In my defense, I think I was 5. Far too many adults, it seems, approach the quotidian world with the common sense of 5-year-olds.
I'm appalled that an attorney actually took this case and it was allowed time in court. Just appalled--and a smidge more disillusioned with humanity, which is surprising. Of aaaaaallll the shit, legally, to spend one's time on.. . This is definitely one of those "disgrace to the profession" cases.
I am reminded of back when we were having runs on grocery items during COVID, and at one point, there was a run on boxed pasta products. the shelf at my favorite grocery store was completely empty, EXCEPT for one flavor of velveeta shells and cheese.
A ton of products have this wording, never did I think it included all of the misc steps, just the cooking time -- I thought most people learned that as kids while boiling water to "3 minute" ramen. lol. Should the "ready time" also include the time it takes you to fetch it from the pantry and the time it takes you to read the instructions? I can just imagine a huge Nutrition Facts-like table on every product with estimated times for every step, including driving it home from the store based on average mileage, location, and time of day.
This is exactly why they need to require people who file frivolous suits pay the court costs & instead of getting pain & suffering damages they should pay stupidity damages.
So you wish to increase the burden on legit lawsuits against powerful corporations with teams of lawyers able to crush the little guy that wasn't able to hire the best lawyer? It already happens, but now you want the poor schlub who lost to PAY for it. Great idea, Besos. When is a lawsuit deemed frivolous and by whom? (it's not you) I guarantee Walmart will make a KILLING proving lawsuits against them, "frivolous" if YOU changed things so that the plaintiff has to PAY them. Well, for a few years before everyone learns not to sue big corporations. I guess that is what you are ultimately after, right?
I had to look up what was actually on the lable and discovered there's no actual "prep time may vary" disclaimer. Regardless, this isn't the sort of corporate misconduct we need to be protected from. It would also seem to me that any reasonable person would understand that ready time is referring to cooking time.
It's really sad that lawsuits like these are even legal to be filed. Stuff like this should be thrown out before they even go before a judge. The lawyers should be fined and censured.
Wow. So you think there should be a guy who decides which lawsuits the guy who decides on lawsuits (the judge) is allowed to see? The guy, the first guy, also has the power to shut down any lawsuit and fine anyone who brought that lawsuit. This is what you want? I honestly think Dunning-Kruger is real.
I grabbed a similar cup of the great value Mac and Cheese and saw that it was advertised the same as the Velveeta. "Ready in 3.5 minutes". Assuming that all of the different brands are advertising in a similar manner would that have an effect on the validity of the lawsuit?
In my experience having tried various brands of those cups the heating time really depends on your Microwave. If you have a lower powered unit (750watts in my case) it will take a bit longer to heat. Oh, the horror! lmao
And the packaging will generally indicate that heating times may vary and instructions are based on an 1100 watt microwave, etc. The woman who filed this lawsuit is either stupid or a liar.
@@BlackJesus8463 Actually... that is the big one, isn't it. If a lawyer signed off on this, and it can be dismissed so easily... wouldn't that be sanctionable?
Steve, only you could make a 22 minute long video about the legal ramifications of the preparation time of Mac & Cheese; a product that can be fully prepared and consumed by a ten year old without adult supervision in less than 22 minutes. Bravo, my friend. You have truly mastered the art of exalting trivialities. (That compliment is genuine in case you were wondering.) 🤠
The normal Kraft microwavable macaroni & cheese cups calls for 3 and 1/2 minutes of microwave time, it does not say ready in 3.5 minutes. The biggest issue is it always overflows. Given the wattage of my microwave 3 minutes does the trick without overflow. If you don't pour it out on a plate after mixing it can still be too hot to eat out the cup several minutes later.
Judge "ok, ma'am. How much do you make an hour? How many packages have you bought in the past year? Your hourly wage divided by sixty multiplied by x number of packages of Mac and cheese for the extra minute of preparation aaaand...... Ok, defendant will have a check for seven dollars and sixty two cents for you in a reasonable amount of time, and you should not buy this product anymore if it does not work for you.". Bangs gavel.
Tipton : No self-respectin' Southerner uses instant grits. I take pride in my grits. Vinny Gambini : So, Mr. Tipton, how could it take you five minutes to cook your grits, when it takes the entire grit-eating world twenty minutes?
This reminds me of Bill Engvall 'warning labels' skit. There might still be people who are stuck in the shower washing their hair because the bottle says 'rinse, lather, repeat'. Or that fan belts have warning labels saying stop engine first.
I used to work at a large refrigerated trucking company and one of our drivers DID reach in and grab on to a fan belt ..... with the engine running because the breakdown call centre did NOT state to shut off engine first before checking to see if the belts are there that driver has a VERY HARD time driving a semi truck with NO fingers !!!!
As an ex plumber and somewhat an electrician. Love your story. Because I'm going yeah for electrical it has to be this deep, for pbing it has to be so deep. In south Dakota a water line has to be deeper in Texas.
The Judge should be harsh in his judgement, since it is such an inconvenience to her then she is banned from ever having Mac'n'Cheez ever again, find something else to eat. as for the Lawyer that took the case, dis-bar. Frivolous Cases clog our judicial system, this one is way to obviously frivolous, shame, for shame.
Oh for goodness sake Kraft! Just be honest about time to prepare. Still, we should seriously block these frivolous lawsuits because it’s driving manufacturers and businesses out if the country.
Umm… I’ve made those in less than 3 minutes so good luck to them. They take 2minutes or less to heat in a microwave. Even if you were really slow with a cheese packet you’d still be hard pressed to take more than that to get the packet opened and added to the container.
I swear, I think that people heard about the ridiculous "Texas Pete's" lawsuit and are now combing through the grocery store looking for things on product packaging or labels that COULD be considered misleading and shopping it around until they find a lawyer willing to plead the case in court. And since it's been converted into a class action lawsuit, if the plaintiff wins the case after the trial and subsequent appeals, they will see pennies, while the lawyer(s) will take in millions. Driving up the prices for the rest of us...
Reminds me of the discussion of cooking grits on the movie "My Cousin Vinny" . By the way the only people that make money on class actions are the Lawyers.
Yes, it's a minor breach, and I understand the apparent frivolous nature of the complaint. That's how companies, again and again, nibble away at the truth. What is today's trick, I always have to ask myself; e.g. a package of Kraft slices now comes with 22 slices instead of 24 in my area, while keeping the package more or less the same dimensions. As an aggregate, the consumer's life is a perpetual exercise of reading the fine print on simple products because of all these minor tricks and play on words in the consumer space. It's a good thing to draw the line once in a while.
it does take too long to make! this should be made into a class action, where do i sign up? also it takes too long for me to boil eggs as well, can we expand the scope a bit?
