After reaching a verdict that a Starbucks shop was irresponsible in its handling of a scorching hot drink, a jury in California decided to award a delivery worker fifty million dollars in damages following the verdict.
Michael Garcia filed a lawsuit against the chain of cafes when a cup of tea fell on his lap while he was sitting at a drive-thru, resulting in a permanent deformity of his penis.
According to a news release issued by his attorney Nick Rowley, Garcia’s “life has been forever changed” as a result of the event.
“No amount of money can undo the permanent catastrophic harm he has suffered, but this jury verdict is a critical step in holding Starbucks accountable for flagrant disregard for customer safety and failure to accept responsibility,” Rowley stated.
Starbucks stated that it has “always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores” and that it intends to file an appeal.
“We sympathize with Mr. Garcia, but we disagree with the jury’s decision that we were at fault for this incident and believe the damages awarded to be excessive,” Starbucks stated.
According to his lawyers, Garcia was a Postmates delivery driver on February 8, 2020, when he showed up at the Starbucks in Los Angeles to retrieve three venti “medicine ball” teas. At the drive-thru, a cup fell straight into his lap and the top of one of the cups popped off, revealing a cardboard carrier filled with the drinks.
The Starbucks staff making the beverages and the scene where the tea pours over Garcia’s lap are captured on video that Rowley’s company supplied. The employee at the window did not properly secure the drink in the carrier, Garcia’s lawyers contended in court.
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Garcia’s inner thighs, groin, and penis were all burned in the third degree.
Garcia received two skin grafts to his penis at Grossman Burn Center, according to Rowley’s firm, and he experiences pain whenever there is friction in the area.
The legal dispute is similar to the notorious McDonald’s coffee case. When a McDonald’s coffee spilled on Stella Liebeck’s lap during a drive-thru in New Mexico in 1992, the 79-year-old received third-degree burns.
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Although evidence presented at trial demonstrated that McDonald’s coffee was noticeably hotter than that of other restaurants, Liebeck’s case is occasionally characterized as a pointless litigation.
McDonald’s coffee had already burned at least 700 individuals, according to the American Museum of Tort Law, but the firm had not altered its policy of maintaining its coffee at 180 to 190 degrees.
The Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law reports that the 79-year-old only launched a lawsuit after McDonald’s refused to pay her medical fees.
The jury’s original decision of $2.7 million in punitive damages was lowered by a judge. McDonald’s and Liebeck reached an undisclosed settlement.
