A jury in California has ordered Starbucks to pay $50 million (around Rs 434.78 crore) in damages to a delivery driver who suffered severe burns after a hot beverage spilled on him due to an improperly secured lid. The incident occurred on February 8, 2020, when Michael Garcia, a delivery driver, picked up an order at a Starbucks drive-through in Los Angeles.
According to court filings, the barista had failed to properly secure one of the hot drinks in the beverage carrier, leading to the accident that resulted in Garcia sustaining third-degree burns, nerve damage and disfigurement.
Garcia's attorney, Michael Parker, said that his client was handed a drink carrier containing three beverages. However, one of the hot drinks had not been securely placed, causing it to fall and spill onto Garcia's lap. The injuries sustained were described as physically and emotionally devastating, significantly affecting his quality of life, according to a report on CNN.
The jury ruled in Garcia's favour, citing physical pain, mental distress and long-term impairment as factors in the substantial compensation award.
In response to the ruling, Starbucks expressed disagreement with the verdict and announced plans to appeal. “We sympathise with Mr Garcia, but we disagree with the jury's decision that we were at fault for this incident and believe the damages awarded to be excessive. We have always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores, including the handling of hot drinks,” said Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
Meanwhile, Garcia's legal team maintained that their client's life had been irrevocably altered due to Starbucks' negligence.
“Michael Garcia's life has been forever changed. No amount of money can undo the permanent catastrophic harm he has suffered, but this jury verdict is a critical step in holding Starbucks accountable for flagrant disregard for customer safety and failure to accept responsibility,” said Nick Rowley, Garcia's attorney and co-founder of Trial Lawyers for Justice.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News report, before the trial, Starbucks had made settlement offers, initially proposing $3 million (around Rs 26 crore) and later increasing the amount to $30 million (around Rs 261 crore). Garcia was willing to accept the offer on the condition that Starbucks issue an apology, revise its policies and instruct its stores to double-check the security of hot drinks before handing them to customers. But Starbucks reportedly declined to agree to those terms, leading to the case proceeding to trial.
The case draws comparisons to the well-known 1994 lawsuit against McDonald's, in which complainant Stella Liebeck suffered third-degree burns from spilled coffee. Liebeck was initially awarded nearly $3 million in damages, the CNN report added.
