The food bid, a man named Michael Garcia, picked up hot drinks from a Starbucks in Los Angeles when the accident occurred. He sat in his car when the barist was over a full mug holder and at least one of the drinks fell to his lap.
It must have been because the lid did not sit properly. His strong reaction is visible on surveillance images when the tea runs out over him.
The incident happened in 2020 – but only on Friday came the verdict. And it will be costly for Starbucks. The coffee giant is sentenced to pay $ 50 million, just over SEK 506 million, to the food bid, reports CBS News.
Serious injuries
Michael Garcia suffered from damage to life due to the spilled beverage. He suffered third degree burns, nerve damage and permanent damage to the abdomen, CBS writes.
According to his lawyers, he has undergone several operations and also suffers from post -traumatic stress.
It took 40 minutes for the jury to decide that Michael Garcia would be awarded $ 50 million for burning and pain.
– It’s a reasonable judgment. It is justified. The injury changed Michael’s life, it was gross negligence, says lawyer Nicholas Rowley according to CBS.
Disagree with: “excessively”
Starbucks disagrees – and plans to appeal.
“We sympathize with Mr. Garcia but we do not agree with the jury’s assessment that we were responsible for this incident and think that the damages that were sentenced is exaggerated, ”the company writes.
Initially, Starbucks offered three million dollars to Michael Garcia for solving the dispute outside the court. They then raised to 30 million.
Michael Garcia accepted the sum, but demanded that Starbucks apologize, change their policy and send out a call to all cafes to double check their hot drinks before handing over to the customer.
Starbuck’s rejected terms, which later led to Friday’s judgment.