Starbucks told to pay customer £39,000,000 after coffee spilt onto his lap at drive-thru
Starbucks has been ordered to pay a delivery driver nearly £39 million after he was left severely burned by a drink which did not have the lid on properly.
A jury in California has ordered the coffee chain to pay Michael Garcia £38,630,920 ($50 million) after the coffee spilt down him.
He was picking up three drinks at a drive-thru in Los Angeles when he suffered severe burns, disfigurement, and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals.
His lawyer Michael Parker said one of the drinks wasn’t fully pushed into the container, and when the barista handed it over, and drink fell out and onto Mr Garcia.
The lawsuit filed in 2020 also accused Starbucks of failing in its duty of care when the lid was not properly secured.
Mr Garcia said he has been left with physical pain, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation, inconvenience, grief, disfigurement, physical impairment, anxiety and emotional distress.
But Starbucks said they were planning on appealing the verdict.
The coffee giant said: ‘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.
‘We have always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores, including the handling of hot drinks.’
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