A U.S. man has been awarded $US50 million ($AU79 million) in damages from café chain Starbucks, after he was severely burned by a cup of tea.
In February 2020, a worker at a Starbucks drive-through in California failed to secure a cup of tea in its takeaway tray, which caused it to tip into delivery driver Michael Garcia’s lap.
Garcia sustained third-degree burns to his thighs, groin, and genitals, causing “permanent disfigurement”.
Case
Following the incident, Garcia received treatment at a dedicated burns centre and had multiple skin grafts. In a statement to Instagram, his lawyers said the burns have caused him “disfigurement, pain, dysfunction, and psychological harm”.
After he launched legal action, the chain offered him $US30 million ($AU47 million) to settle his case in secret.
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Garcia’s lawyers said he did not accept this settlement because Starbucks did not agree “to publicly apologise and promise to change policy to prevent this from happening again.”
Verdict
According to Garcia’s lawyers, nine of the 12 jury members agreed to a total payout of $60 million, including $50 million in damages and $10 million for legal fees.
“Three jurors dissented and were crying, because they wanted the verdict to be $125 million,” his lawyers added.
The details of how the damages were calculated have not been made public.
A Starbucks spokesperson has said that it will appeal the decision, telling CBS News it believes the damages were “excessive” and that it was not at fault.
