And as Firethorn points out, this is the fun of litigation. The industry standard is 180 degrees for brewing. Is a company liable for serving above that temperature? This woman was badly burned. Is the company liable just because she was badly injured, even if the coffee was at an industry standard temperature when they handed the cup to her? And what responsibility, if any, does the woman bear for placing the cup between her thighs?
Now, consider that more and more, judges are being encouraged to send issues like these to a jury to decide.
So, you have your jury of normal people who hear about and see the injuries. They hear how 185 degree liquid is dangerous, and a real risk to cause burns/scalds. They're going to put themselves in that situation, imagine sticking the cup in their lap (we've all done it), and imagine the burns. No matter how much the defense team is going to argue about the industry standards, or her negligence for holding the cup in her lap, it's not going to overcome the thoughts of a burned crotch. I once read that a good layer tries facts to a judge, but emotions to a jury. That's what they did, and McDonalds paid for it.