March 20, 2025 — A delivery driver who was burned by hot tea from a Starbucks drive-thru window has been awarded $50 million by a jury in Los Angeles, California.
The man was severely burned when hot water for tea spilled on him about 1.4 seconds after he was handed a cup-caddy loaded with hot drinks through a Starbucks drive-thru window on February 8, 2020.
Lawyers claimed that Starbucks employees failed to properly secure the cup filled with hot water. Two other cups in the caddy did not spill.
His lawyers also blamed his injuries on the cups’ design. Lawyers claimed that the Starbucks cups were very tall and narrow, which made them prone to tipping over when filled to the brim with hot liquid.
The jury was unanimous in finding Starbucks to be 100% liable for the incident, and ruled that the man was 0% responsible for his injuries.
The lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles — Garcia v. Starbucks Corp. — Case number 20STCV10214.
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The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting burn injury cases in all 50 states. If you were burned in a Starbucks drive-thru window by hot tea or coffee that was spilled on you by an employee, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Accident & Personal Injury Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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