US jury orders Starbucks to pay S$66 million after hot drink spills on man, causing permanent genital disfigurement

A Los Angeles County jury has ordered Starbucks on Mar. 14 to pay $50 million (S$66 million) to a delivery driver who suffered third-degree burns and permanent disfigurement of his genitals after scalding hot tea was spilled on his lap.

The driver argued that one of the drinks was "negligently" unsecured in its cardboard drink carrier, causing it to spill shortly after he took the order inside the car, according to U.S. legal news site Courthouse News Service.

A spokesperson from Starbucks said the award was "excessive" and that the company would appeal.

What happened

Michael Garcia, now 30, was picking up an order of three venti-sized "medicine balls" — secret menu items made from a mix of steamed lemonade and two different teas — from a Starbucks drive-thru in South Los Angeles, U.S., in 2020.

Surveillance footage inside the coffee shop showed the Starbucks employee securing three drinks onto a drink carrier before handing it to Garcia.

As Garcia took the order, one of the drinks could be seen spilling onto his lap, causing him to flinch in pain.

He was brought to the emergency room by paramedics and later treated at a burn centre, where he received two skin grafts on his penis.

Garcia argued that the drink spilled due to it being "negligently" unsecured in its cardboard drink carrier and said he "suffered severe burns, disfigurement, and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals" as a result of the spill.

His attorney Nick Rowley said his penis was permanently discoloured and disfigured, with less length and girth.

He can no longer maintain a full or lasting erection and any friction during sex or masturbation causes pain.

"One of the most pleasurable experiences in life has been changed to pain," Rowley said.

Noting that it was an "awful injury", Rowley added Garcia was "a different person" due to the injury and that it would "affect every facet of his life".

Starbucks director of corporate communications Jaci Anderson said in an email that even though they sympathise with Garcia, they disagree with the jury's decision that the company was at fault for this incident and believe the damages awarded to be excessive.

"We plan to appeal. We have always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores, including the handling of hot drinks," said Anderson.

Rowley called the company "a bunch of idiots" upon hearing Starbucks' statement and said, "They don’t have a chance in hell at getting this verdict reduced".

He said the surveillance footage, which served as key evidence during the trial, clearly showed the barista securing two of the cups in the drink carrier but not the third, leading it to spill less than two seconds after Garcia took it into the car.

Similar incidents

A similar lawsuit was filed against McDonald's in 1992, where 79-year-old Stella Liebeck sued the fast food chain after she spilled hot coffee in her lap.

The scalding coffee caused third-degree burns on her body and led her to be hospitalised for eight days.

The jury awarded her US$2.7 million (S$3.5 million) in punitive damages, but the parties later settled for a confidential amount of reportedly less than US$500,000 (S$665,000).

In 2022, a 34-year-old Singaporean woman was left with second-degree burns on her thighs and pelvic area after the cup holding hot soya milk she purchased from Jollibean allegedly "crumpled", causing the contents inside to spill onto her.

The woman said she had sought "fair compensation" from Jollibean, which would cover the costs of scar removal or lightening.

The company responded that they would not be compensating her for her injuries and they were apologetic for how her complaint was handled.

In the same year, a 67-year-old Whampoa hawker who suffered first- and second-degree burns after a male customer tossed a scalding hot porridge at her was awarded a compensation of S$16,000.

Top image via Courthouse News Service