As for the McDonalds case, here is the rest of the story. No one is a bigger oppenent of frivolous lawsuits that I am. This was not one of them. However, the media found its spin to be more interesting, so it has become urban legend as an example of a frivolous suit. For the details.
The Actual Facts about the Mcdonalds' Coffee Case
As for the rest of those examples, they're bunk. I wouldn't be surprised to find a department at every In sur ance Co titled Department of Myths to help sell Policies.