A Case of Caffeine Poisoning?

May 13, 2010 Calculus Student C/o Jill Lane NC School of the Arts Winston-Salem, NC 27117 Dear Calculus Student: I write to you concerning one Mr. Paul Pfefferkorn of Winston-Salem, NC. I regret to tell you that Mr. Pfefferkorn is currently complaining of a case of caffeine poisoning. He requested that I communicate with you regarding the particulars of the situation, and specifically requested that I involve you in our investigation. The facts of the case are these: Mr. Pfefferkorn routinely drinks coffee and in fact, has been heard to comment to colleagues that he is useless without his cup of joe. He reports that he usually drinks 4 oz. of coffee each hour during his 8 hour workday. In his 2:30 class, on May 7, Mr. Pfefferkorn began to experience abdominal pain and nervousness followed by rambling thoughts and speech. At the completion of his class, Mr. Pfefferkorn reported to Health Services. He learned that he had the typical symptoms of caffeine poisoning, which occurs when blood levels of caffeine exceed 350 mg or more. As Mr. Pfefferkorn has not varied his coffee drinking routine for years, he was at a loss to explain this sudden difference in affect The next day, Mr. Pfefferkorn noted that he had an email from the general studies office describing the benefits of the new coffee system installed in the lounge on the afternoon of May 6. The new coffee system offers drip coffee as opposed to the brew system that was in place before. This information aroused Mr. Pfefferkorns suspicions that his recent bout of caffeine poisoning was the result of the change in coffee makers and he has contacted me to handle his negligence suit against the school. Ive completed research and found the following information: Drip coffee has an average of 165 mg of caffeine per 8 ounce cup, while brewed coffee has only 130 mg per cup. Caffeine is absorbed fully into the bloodstream almost immediately, and is eliminated by the body at a rate proportional to the amount present, and has a half life in the body of 3-7 hours. My question to you is this, do we have a case? Is the difference in the drip coffee versus the brewed coffee enough to have caused Mr. Pfefferkorns symptoms? Thank you in advance for your help. Sincerely, Dewis and Laggett, Attorneys at Law