A Los Angeles County jury has awarded Michael Garcia $50 million after he suffered severe burns when a hot Starbucks tea spilled on him at a drive-through in 2020. The lawsuit claimed an employee failed to properly secure the drink in a takeout tray, resulting in Garcia’s injuries.
Garcia’s negligence case alleged that his permanent disfigurement and life-changing skin grafts were caused by the incident on February 8, 2020. Starbucks has expressed sympathy for Garcia but plans to appeal the decision, stating it was “committed to highest safety standards” and disagrees with the jury’s finding of fault.
This is not the first time a US restaurant has faced lawsuits over customer burns. A New Mexico woman received nearly $3 million in damages in 1990s case after attempting to pry open a coffee cup at a McDonald’s drive-through, which was later reduced and settled for under $600,000.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-hot-tea-lawsuit-50-million-b0d4902af6b4d3d50944c8eb5594b9e9