LA Jury Awards Delivery Driver $50 Million in Damages For Severe Burns Caused by Starbucks Tea

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Starbucks ordered to pay $50 million to delivery driver burned by hot coffee

Michael Garcia was picking up drinks at a drive-through in Los Angeles when he “suffered severe burns, disfigurement, and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals when hot drinks ultimately spilled” onto his lap, according to the lawsuit filed in California Superior Court in 2020. The lawsuit accused Starbucks of breaching its duty of care by failing to secure the lid. Michael Parker, Garcia’s lawyer, said his client was picking up three beverages and one of the hot drinks wasn’t fully pushed into the container. When the barista handed Garcia the order, a drink fell out of the container and onto Garcia, Parker said. 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.

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California man wins $50 million in lawsuit over burns from Starbucks tea

A delivery driver has won $50 million in a lawsuit after being seriously burned when a Starbucks drink spilled in his lap at a California drive-through, court records show. A Los Angeles County jury found Friday for Michael Garcia, who underwent skin grafts and other procedures on his genitals after a venti-sized tea drink spilled instants after he collected it on Feb. 8, 2020. He has suffered permanent and life-changing disfigurement, according to his attorneys. Garcia’s negligence lawsuit blamed his injuries on Starbucks, saying that an employee didn’t wedge the scalding-hot tea firmly enough into a takeout tray. “This jury verdict is a critical step in holding Starbucks accountable for flagrant disregard for customer safety and failure to accept responsibility,” one of Garcia’s attorneys, Nick Rowley, said in a statement.

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Delivery driver severely burned by hot tea at Starbucks awarded $50 million by LA jury

A Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded a delivery driver $50 million in damages Friday for severe burns to his genitalia caused by a scalding cup of tea that spilled in the drive-thru of a Starbucks near USC. According to court records, Postmates driver Michael Garcia suffered life-altering, third-degree burns in the Feb. 8, 2020, incident that was blamed on a barista’s failure to firmly secure the hot tea in a beverage carrier. “Starbucks continues to prioritize profit over the health and safety of its customers,” said Nick Rowley, who is Garcia’s attorney and co-founder of Trial Lawyers for Justice. “Despite being repeatedly warned about the dangers of improperly secured drinks, they chose to ignore safety.” Starbucks said in a statement Friday. March 14, that it will appeal the verdict.

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Starbucks Ordered To Pay Postmates Driver $50 Million for Spilled Tea That Caused Burns
The barista at the drive-through window did not properly secure one of the lids on the beverages before handing it to the customer.
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Starbucks ordered to pay $50 million to delivery driver burned by hot beverage
Michael Garcia was picking up drinks at a drive-through in Los Angeles. He “suffered severe burns, disfigurement, and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals,” lawsuit says. Garcia’s damages included physical pain, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life.
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LA Man awarded $50 million against Starbucks burn injury
The coffee shop chain has a documented corporate policy that hot drinks must be fully secured in the tray before being handed over to customers. Video footage from inside the drive-thru appeared to show that one of the three drinks was not properly placed into the tray. Experts testified during the trial that Garcia could have done nothing to avoid his injuries.
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Los Angeles man awarded $50 million in case against Starbucks after suffering permanent injury from spilled tea
Los Angeles man awarded $50 million in case against Starbucks after suffering permanent injury from spilled tea. Michael Garcia suffered life-altering burns when a cup of scalding hot tea spilled into his lap in 2020. His noticeable reaction can be seen in security camera footage from inside the Starbucks.
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Starbucks hit with $50 million fine for spilled drink injury
A California jury Friday imposed a $50 million fine on Starbucks in the case of a delivery driver burned by a scalding cup of hot tea at a company location in Los Angeles. Michael Garcia was picking up three drinks in 2020 but one, he claimed, was "negligently" unsecured and spilled in his lap.
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California man wins $50 million in lawsuit over burns from Starbucks tea
California man wins $50 million in lawsuit over burns from Starbucks tea. A venti-sized tea drink spilled instants after he collected it on Feb. 8, 2020. He has suffered permanent and life-changing disfigurement, his attorneys say. Starbucks says it sympathized with Garcia but planned to appeal.
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Starbucks hit with $50 million jury verdict for hot tea that scalded and disfigured Postmates driver’s penis
Michael Garcia was picking up an order of three venti-sized "medicine balls" One of the drinks, he said, was "negligently" unsecured in its cardboard drink carrier. Garcia said he "suffered severe burns, disfigurement, and debilitating nerve damage"
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Java lava: Starbucks asked to pay $50m in damages to delivery man burned by spilling hot coffee
A California jury has ordered Starbucks to pay $50 million in damages to a delivery driver. The driver suffered severe burns, disfigurement and nerve damage to his genitals. The coffee chain was accused of breaching its duty of ensuring safety by using a poorly constructed lid. Starbucks will appeal the jury's decision.
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Starbucks Ordered to Pay $50 Million to Customer Burned by Hot Drink - MyNewsLA.com
A jury has awarded $50 million to a man who alleged his private parts were disfigured by a Starbucks Corp. hot drink that spilled onto him when he was handed the beverage at a drive-thru window in Jefferson Park in 2020. The Los Angeles Superior Court panel reached its verdict Friday morning in the lawsuit […]
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