A Los Angeles County jury says Starbucks is liable for injuries of a customer burned during a botched drive-through drink handoff — to the tune of $50 million.
L.A. resident Michael Garcia claimed that he was severely burned in 2020 after his tray of hot teas “caved in on itself,” he said in a deposition. First one, then another hot drink toppled onto his lap, their lids popping off. He suffered severe burns, including to his genitalia, he claimed.
Garcia accused Starbucks of negligence, and produced a store security video that appeared to show that one of the Venti-sized drinks sat askew in the tray as a barista passed the order to him through a drive-through window.
Jurors on Friday agreed, and ordered the Seattle-based company to pay Garcia $50 million for past and future damage that include pain and suffering. More here