"why is something unexpectedly too hot an exception?"

It isn't.

If I were served a coca cola and it were boiling hot then you'd have a case.

She ordered HOT coffee. Not lukewarm coffee. Not tepid coffee.

------------"However, tap water delivered at 140 degrees F can cause a full-thickness burn in 10 seconds." http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/606/main.html----------

And 140 degrees is well below the 190 degrees you mentioned that the Coffee Council or whathaveyou recommended for brewing coffee.

So maybe she should sue every coffee maker who suggests brewing coffee at above 140 degrees? Will coffee even brew at 140 degrees?

140 degrees would almost be considered too cool for most coffee drinkers.

In the falling on you instance, if it is an object that is not behind some kind of barrier (like a velvet rope) and a customer can come within reach of the object (not have to climb onto a stage or platform) during a normal shopping experience, and it falls on you, you have a case.

If it is on a stage or platform, or behind a rope or barrier, and you go ahead and touch it and it falls? I'm sorry - welcome to your wheelchair, here's a $10 gift certificate for being a dumbass.