Starbucks is facing two new lawsuits over spilled hot drinks, just weeks after a court ordered the company to pay $79 million to a man who was injured by a cup of tea.
Both lawsuits, filed in California, involve complaints about scalding liquids spilled onto customers at drive-throughs.
One lawsuit, filed last week, claims that Sabrina Michelle Hermes was seriously injured when hot liquid spilled into her lap at a Starbucks in Norwalk, near Los Angeles, two years ago. According to the suit, one of the cups in her order wasn’t properly secured, causing the drink to slosh onto her legs, hip, knee, and feet, resulting in severe injuries. The lawsuit accuses Starbucks of negligence, claiming that the company failed to ensure the drink was properly secured and that it owes a duty of care to customers to prevent such incidents. Hermes is seeking unspecified damages, including compensation for medical costs and lost earnings.
A Starbucks spokesperson stated that the company plans to contest the claim, emphasizing its commitment to safety and insisting that the allegations are without merit.
Meanwhile, in Alhambra Superior Court, Ernesto Vladimir Sanchez Avendano is suing Starbucks for negligence. He alleges that a drink handed to him at a North Hollywood drive-through had a poorly fastened lid, causing it to spill onto his lap. The spill left him with severe burns, disfigurement, and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals and buttocks. Starbucks has not yet been served with the suit but stated that it would carefully review the claims.
These new lawsuits come just after a $79 million ruling in favor of delivery driver Michael Garcia, who was burned by a super-sized drink that spilled in his lap at a drive-through. Garcia’s lawyers argued that the server improperly placed one of the drinks in the cardboard cupholder, leading to the spill. Starbucks has stated that it plans to appeal the decision, calling the award “excessive.”
This series of legal challenges brings to mind the 1994 McDonald’s lawsuit, in which 79-year-old Stella Liebeck was awarded over $4 million after spilling hot coffee on herself. While the award was reduced on appeal, the case became a well-known example in discussions about tort law reform in the U.S.