A jury in California on Friday, March 14, ordered the Starbucks coffee chain to pay $50 million in compensation to a delivery man who suffered serious burns due to an unsecured lid on a hot beverage.
CNN writes about this.
The incident occurred in 2020. At the time, delivery man Michael Garcia was picking up drinks and when they spilled, he “suffered severe burns, disfigurement, and serious nerve damage to his genital area”. In the lawsuit, the man alleged that Starbucks breached its duty to maintain safety by failing to securely close the lids.
The courierʼs lawyer explained that his client was picking up three drinks, and one of them was not fully inserted into the stand. When the barista handed over the order, one of the drinks fell out of the container and spilled.
The court ruled that the damages suffered by the man included physical pain, moral suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation, inconvenience, grief, disfigurement, physical deformity, anxiety and emotional distress.
Starbucks said it plans to appeal the courtʼs decision. The coffee chain says it has always maintained the highest safety standards in its establishments, including when serving hot beverages.
"We sympathize with Mr. Garcia, but we disagree with the juryʼs decision that we are liable for this incident and believe the amount of compensation awarded is excessive," Starbucks said in a statement.
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