Los Angeles — According to court documents, a delivery worker who was severely burned when a Starbucks cup spilled on his lap at a drive-through in California has won $50 million in a lawsuit.
$50 million in a lawsuit – A Los Angeles County jury found Friday for Michael Garcia, who required skin grafts and other surgeries on his genitals after a venti-sized tea drink spilled instants after he collected it on Feb. 8, 2020. His lawyers claim that he has been permanently disfigured.
In his negligence complaint, Garcia accused Starbucks of causing his injuries by having an employee not properly wedge the piping hot tea into a takeout tray.
One of Garcia’s attorneys, Nick Rowley, said in a statement that “this jury verdict is a critical step in holding Starbucks accountable for flagrant disregard for customer safety and failure to accept responsibility.”
Starbucks expressed sympathy for Garcia but indicated it would file an appeal.
$50 million in a lawsuit – The massive Seattle-based coffee company said in a statement that it was “committed to the highest safety standards” when handling hot beverages and that it “disagrees with the jury’s decision that the damages levied are disproportionate, and that we were responsible for this situation.”
Due to customer burns, restaurants in the US have previously been sued.
A New Mexico jury awarded a woman over $3 million in damages in a well-known case from the 1990s for burns she sustained while attempting to pull the lid off a coffee cup at a McDonald’s drive-through.
The case was eventually resolved for an unknown amount under $600,000 when a court later lowered the award.
At times, juries have sided with restaurants, such with the case in Iowa in the 1990s when a child tipped a McDonald’s coffee cup onto himself.