A judge in New York City ruled that jury-awarded damages of $300,000 against Starbucks (SBUX) for spilled coffee on a woman's foot were excessive. The spill or splash, or whatever, caused a two-inch burn, and internal damage that impacts the plaintiff's ballet dancing, her experts testified. We've all heard of these suits -- I think the first was against McDonald's. The judge refused to set aside the verdict or give Starbucks a new trial. He 'll determine what damages to award after an upcoming settlement conference by parties.

My question is, who has the time to bring these types of suits? Once attorney fees are taken out, and the cost of one's own time factored in, the payday can't be that much. Sad really. I doubt lawsuits of this type factor into investors decisions, certainly not suits that entail money damages in the range we're talking about in this case.

Michael Canfield is a private investor, a business and media writer, living in Seattle. He doesn't own stock in Starbucks.