A California jury has ordered Starbucks to pay $50 million in damages to a delivery driver who suffered severe burns after a hot coffee spill at one of the company’s drive-through locations. The verdict, delivered on Friday, marks a significant ruling against the coffee giant and reignites debates over corporate responsibility and safety standards in handling hot beverages.
The plaintiff, Michael Garcia, a 32-year-old delivery driver working for Postmates, was picking up an order of three hot beverages at a Starbucks drive-through near the University of Southern California in February 2020. According to court documents, one of the cups—filled with tea heated to over 180 degrees Fahrenheit—was not properly secured in the drink carrier. Moments after the barista handed the tray to Garcia, the unsecured cup tipped over, spilling scalding liquid onto his lap. Garcia sustained third-degree burns to his groin, thighs, and genitals, requiring multiple skin grafts and leaving him with permanent nerve damage and scarring.
“This wasn’t just an accident—it was negligence,” said Garcia’s attorney, Nicholas Rowley of Trial Lawyers for Justice, in a statement after the verdict. “Starbucks has a responsibility to ensure their products don’t become weapons. Michael’s life has been changed forever because they failed to do that.”
The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court in 2020, accused Starbucks of breaching its duty of care by failing to properly secure the lid and the cup in the carrier. During the trial, experts testified that the temperature of the tea far exceeded safe levels for consumer handling and that Garcia had no reasonable way to prevent the spill once the tray was handed to him. The jury, after a week-long trial, found Starbucks 100% liable, with nine of twelve jurors agreeing on the $50 million award—an amount that fell between the $75–125 million sought by Garcia’s team and the $7.5–10 million suggested by Starbucks’ defense.
