A jury in California on Friday was awarded $ 50 million to compensation to a Los Angeles delivery guide, which burns badly by a cup of hot tea that was poured into a Starbucks move in 2020, the court records show.
The driver, Michael Garcia, 30 years old, received multiple skin cuttings and underwent other medical treatments in his genitals after a hot tea that was poured on it when it took it from a window of movement in 2020, according to the lawsuit filed by Los.
“This jury’s verdict is a crucial step to keep Starbucks responsible for refuge indifference to customer security and failure to accept responsibility,” said Nick Rowley, one of Mr Garcia’s lawyers.
In February 2020, Mr Garcia, who was 25 years old, worked for the post-re-producers’ delivery service when he arrived at a Starbucks in Los Angeles to get three hot venti-sized teas, according to his lawyers.
The trial claimed that the barista placed in the window “failed to fail properly” to secure one of the warm drinks on a drink body that caused her to fall out of the container and in the arms of Mr. Garcia. The video from the interior of the store captured the episode and shows that Mr Garcia stumbles on the pain as he pulls away.
The company “does not safely fasten the lids of every hot drink that was negligent, careless and recklessly served” to Mr Garcia, the complaint said.
His lawyers said his experience left with third degree burns on his penis, groin and internal thighs and was transferred to an emergency room.
Since he was hospitalized and healed, “he has lived for five years with the distortion, pain, malfunction and psychological damage caused by burns,” his lawyers said.
In a statement on Sunday, Starbucks said that although he was involved with Mr Garcia, the company was planning to appeal to the jury award.
“We disagree with the jury’s decision that we were fault about this incident and we believe that the compensation that was awarded were excessive,” Jaci Anderson, Director of Corporate Communications, said in a statement.
He added, “We are always committed to the highest security standards in our stores, including handling hot drinks.”
Damage covers physical pain, mental suffering, loss of life enjoyment, humility, suffering, sadness, distortion, bodily harm and anxiety, according to the jury award.
The award is expected to total more than $ 60 million after interest, fees and lawyers are added, his lawyers said.
The treatment is reminiscent of another known burning case associated with fast food. In 1992, Stella Liebeck, then 79, suffered serious burns after pouring a coffee in her arms in a McDonald move on Albuquerque.
It touched the company, attracting negative attention to the national level and awarded $ 2.9 million by a jury, although the amount later decreased to about $ 500,000.
Kitty Bennett He contributed research.
