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A New Jersey woman who says she was burned by a spilled cup of hot cider is suing Dunkin' Donuts.

(Bloomberg)

ESSEX COUNTY — A New Jersey woman who claims she was badly burned after spilling hot apple cider purchased at a Dunkin' Donuts in Belleville has filed suit against the owner-operator of the franchise, according to a report on NewJerseyLawJournal.com.

Jennifer Fragoso, 24, said she has permanent scarring on her thighs even though she was treated at The Burn Center at St. Barnabas in Livingston, the report said. Fragoso claims she might still need surgery after suffering second- and third-degree burns on Sept. 24, 2012.

Fragoso said she was sitting in her car in the parking lot when the lid came loose and the drink tumbled over, the New Jersey Law Journal reports.

The suit was filed in Superior Court in Essex County against Dunkin' Donuts and Anju Donuts. Dunkin' Donuts said it has not been served yet.

Her lawyer told the publication that while Fragoso expected the cider to be hot, the "temperature exceeded reasonableness and posed a safety hazard.”

Twenty years ago, an Albuquerque, N.M. woman sued McDonald's after she was burned by hot coffee that fell in her lap. A jury awarded Stella Liebeck $2.86 million, including $2.7 million in punitive damages. A judge later reduced Liebeck's award to $640,000 before she settled with McDonald's for an undisclosed figure, according to published reports.

In 2011, a documentary about the case called "Hot Coffee" was produced.

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• Man sues McDonald's in N.J., saying hot coffee burned him

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