A court ordered Starbucks on Friday to pay $50 million in damages to a delivery driver who was severely burned by spilled beverages, CNN reported.
The jury in California sided with Michael Garcia, who was picking up drinks in a drive-through in Los Angeles when he was handed beverages with improperly secured lids. According to the lawsuit filed in the California Superior Court in 2020, he “suffered severe burns, disfigurement, and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals when hot drinks ultimately spilled” on his lap.
The lawsuit ultimately accused the coffee chain of breaching its duty of care by not securing the lids, according to the report.
“Garcia’s damages included physical pain, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation, inconvenience, grief, disfigurement, physical impairment, anxiety and emotional distress, according to a recording of the verdict from Courtroom View Network,” the report states.
Starbucks said while they “sympathize with Mr. Garcia” they plan to appeal the verdict because they “disagree with the jury’s decision that we were at fault for this incident and believe the damages awarded to be excessive.”
“We have always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores, including the handling of hot drinks,” a spokesperson for the company said.
The case is similar to an infamous 1994 lawsuit against McDonald’s, when a woman spilled hot coffee on her lap and ended up with third-degree burns. The woman in that case was originally awarded almost $3 million, the report states.
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