On March 14, a jury awarded $50 million in damages to a Los Angeles delivery driver who was badly burned after hot tea spilled onto his lap in February 2020, reports the Los Angeles Times. The incident occurred at the West Adams Starbucks location at the corner of Western Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard.
The Los Angeles Times reviewed Los Angeles County Superior Court records detailing that a Starbucks employee handed two hot teas to a delivery driver named Michael Garcia, which fell from the beverage carriers onto Garcia’s lap. Garcia testified that the barista did not properly secure the lids to the hot beverages, resulting in “horrific burn injuries that required multiple surgeries” and “permanent disfigurement” to his groin area. TheTimes also reports that Garcia’s genitals were subject to multiple rounds of skin grafts, surgeries, permanent disfigurement, additional medical treatments, pain, and sexual dysfunction.
CBS News reports that Starbucks initially offered Garcia $3 million before that trial, and increased the settlement amount to $30 million. Garcia agreed to that amount but under the condition that the company apologize and adjust storewide policies to ensure that hot drinks are secure before handing them to customers. The parties did not agree to these terms, sending the case to a trial.
The coffee giant plans to appeal the verdict. The New York Times received a statement from Starbucks over the weekend, which stated: “We disagree with the jury’s decision that we were at fault for this incident and believe the damages awarded to be excessive.”
If these circumstances sound familiar, a well-publicized 1992 incident and lawsuit took place after an elderly woman suffered third-degree burns from spilling a coffee into her lap at a McDonald’s drive-through in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Stella Liebeck sued and a jury awarded her $200,000 in compensatory damages, which was later reduced to $160,000.
