So who's fault is this? Both sides looks like. What's her tiny dog doing loose in a car? Don't people know that in a car collision, a small dog will go flying like a miniature missile? It's this reason precisely that dogs should be secured with doggie seats. So what if it's not required by law. It's required by logic. I've seen people driving with their dogs on their lap. I also don't understand how the spilling of the tea could have gotten so out of hand (no pun intended). If you're handed a hot cup, you'll feel it's hot, and if it's too hot you calmly put it in your car's cup holder. Sounds like this woman never had to handle unexpected stress before and just plain freaked out. Kind of like a deer freezing in the road as headlights approach it, not knowing the sensible thing to do. Put the damn cup down instead of panicking and shaking the tea all over the place. I hope these factors come up in court. This harebrain isn't the first to be handed a cup that's "too hot."