LOS ANGELES โ A delivery driver has won $50 million in a lawsuit after being seriously burned when a Starbucks drink spilled in his lap at a California drive-through, court records show.
A Los Angeles County jury found Friday for Michael Garcia, who underwent skin grafts and other procedures on his genitals after a venti-sized tea drink spilled instants after he collected it on Feb. 8, 2020. He has suffered permanent and life-changing disfigurement, according to his attorneys.
Garciaโs negligence lawsuit blamed his injuries on Starbucks, saying that an employee didnโt wedge the scalding-hot tea firmly enough into a takeout tray.
โThis jury verdict is a critical step in holding Starbucks accountable for flagrant disregard for customer safety and failure to accept responsibility,โ one of Garciaโs attorneys, Nick Rowley, said in a statement.
Starbucks said it sympathized with Garcia but planned to appeal.
โWe disagree with the juryโs decision that we were at fault for this incident and believe the damages awarded to be excessive,โ the Seattle-based coffee giant said in a statement, adding that it was โcommitted to the highest safety standardsโ in handling hot drinks.
U.S. eateries have faced lawsuits before over customer burns.
In one famous 1990s case, a New Mexico jury awarded a woman nearly $3 million in damages for burns she suffered while trying to pry the lid off a cup of coffee at a McDonaldโs drive-through. A judge later reduced the award, and the case ultimately was settled for an undisclosed sum under $600,000.
Juries have sided with restaurants at times, as in another 1990s case involving a child who tipped a cup of McDonaldโs coffee onto himself in Iowa.