Man wins $50 million from Starbucks over spilled tea

When customers are injured, it can be very costly for a brand, financially and otherwise.

Mar 18, 2025 - 16:11

Man wins $50 million from Starbucks over spilled tea

One of the true conveniences of modern life is the drive-thru. Not having to get out of the car after ordering coffee or food makes some errands so much easier and more efficient.

The drive-thru may have started out as a quick way for a motorist to grab a bite or a beverage, but it has evolved. Most banks have a drive-thru, and in some places you can drop off dry cleaning, pick up a six pack (yes, drive-thru liquor stores are legal in some states), view the body of a deceased loved one, or even get married, all without having to set the emergency brake.

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But sometimes convenience comes with an unexpected cost.

A Starbucks customer was injured when he spilled a large cup of hot tea on his lap; a jury agreed his injury was Starbucks' fault.
Image source: Starbucks

Starbucks is not the first company whose products burned a customer in a drive-thru

The recent Starbucks (SBUX) case and verdict bring to mind the 1992 lawsuit against McDonald’s, in which 79-year-old Stella Liebeck of New Mexico sued the fast food giant after she spilled hot coffee in her lap. The scalding coffee caused third-degree burns over 16% of Liebeck’s body and led to her spending eight days in a hospital.

A jury ultimately awarded Liebeck $160,000 in compensatory damages plus $2.7 million in punitive damages, though a judge reduced the award to $480,000.

According to the lawsuit, McDonald's served Ms. Liebeck coffee that was as hot as 180 to 190 degrees; the optimal drinking temperature for hot beverages is around 140-150 degrees. At the time, McDonald’s was running a promotion promising commuters their coffee would still be hot by the time it got to their desks.

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A few years later, in 2012, McDonald's settled a similar suit when another customer, Lynne Gipson, alleged that a California McDonald's employee delivered tea and hot water in a "negligent" matter. Like Liebeck, Gipson experienced burns on her thigh and stomach, according to a report in Eater. In that case, a McDonald's employee apologized to the driver, saying the company was trying out a new kind of cup and lid.

McDonald's settled the suit filed by Gipson for an undisclosed amount.

Starbucks is protesting the massive verdict

The most recent headline-making incident involving a drive-thru injury happened in 2020 when a Starbucks customer was seriously injured after spilling hot tea on his lap.

At a Starbucks in South Los Angeles, a barista handed Michael Garcia, then a Postmates driver, a hot-tea-laden cardboard cupholder through a window. One of the three venti "medicine ball" tea drinks was "negligently" unsecured in the cupholder and spilled onto Garcia's lap, according to Garcia and his attorney.

Garcia was taken immediately to an emergency room by paramedics and later treated at the Grossman Burn Center, where he received two skin grafts.

Garcia and his lawyer alleged he suffered "severe burns, disfigurement, and debilitating nerve damage" to his genitals.

On March 14 a jury in Los Angeles County ordered Starbucks to pay $50 million to Michael Garcia.

A spokesperson for Starbucks called the award “excessive” and said the company would appeal.

“We sympathize 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,” said Starbucks Director of Corporate Communications Jaci Anderson, according to a report in the ABA Journal, the magazine of the American Bar Association. “We plan to appeal. We have always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores, including the handling of hot drinks.”

The Starbucks verdict is among the largest awards for a restaurant-related injury. Most such injuries and awards are related to "slip and fall" scenarios.