Man awarded $80 million after Starbucks tea spilt on his lap

A delivery driver has won a $US50 million ($80 million) payout from global coffeehouse chain Starbucks after he suffered serious burns when a tea fell out of its holder and spilt onto his lap.

Michael Garcia “suffered severe burns, disfigurement and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals” after the hot drink spilt out of its container when a barista at a drive-through in Los Angeles passed him his order.

In a lawsuit filed in California Superior Court in 2020, Starbucks was accused of breaching its duty of care after its staff did not fully push the drink into its takeaway tray.

Starbucks said it would appeal the “excessive” damages and said it did not believe it was responsible for the accident.Credit: Bloomberg

Garcia underwent skin grafts and a string of procedures following the incident on February 8, 2020.

His lawyers claim he has suffered permanent and life-changing disfigurement.

‘Flagrant disregard’

A jury in California ordered Starbucks to pay $US50 million in damages to Garcia.

“This jury verdict is a critical step in holding Starbucks accountable for flagrant disregard for customer safety and failure to accept responsibility,” said Nick Rowley, one of Garcia’s lawyers, in a statement.

Starbucks said it would appeal the “excessive” damages and said it did not believe it was responsible for the accident.

“We disagree with the jury’s decision that we were at fault for this incident and believe the damages awarded to be excessive,” a Starbucks spokesman said.

The chain added it was “committed to the highest safety standards” in handling hot drinks.

‘Disfigured and scarred’

Starbucks is not the first US chain to have been ordered to pay significant sums to customers over burns.

Stella Liebeck was awarded nearly $US3 million by a New Mexico jury in the 1990s after she suffered third-degree burns while trying to take the lid off a cup of coffee at a McDonald’s drive-through.

A judge later reduced the award, and the case was settled for an undisclosed sum under $US600,000.

A south Florida jury awarded $US800,000 in damages to the family of Olivia Caraballo in 2023.

Caraballo was “disfigured and scarred” after she suffered second-degree burns when a hot Happy Meal Chicken McNugget fell on her leg in 2019 when she was four years old.

The lawsuit said the nuggets were “unreasonably and dangerously hot” and “unfit for human handling”.

Jurors found McDonald’s liable for negligence, failure to warn customers about the risk of hot food and failure to provide instructions for safe handling of the food.

The Telegraph, London

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