A California delivery driver scored a massive $50 million legal victory Friday after a Los Angeles jury agreed Starbucks was negligent when a scalding hot tea slipped from a drink holder and spilled onto his lap, causing permanent disfigurement to his penis.
Michael Garcia was working as a Postmates driver on February 8, 2020, when he pulled up to a Los Angeles Starbucks drive-thru to collect three venti “medicine ball” teas.
Shocking security footage shows the moment a Starbucks employee handed Garcia a cardboard carrier that the jury found was improperly used to properly secure the drinks.
$50 MILLION IN DAMAGES: A California man won a lawsuit over burns from Starbucks tea. pic.twitter.com/jocUUoIS9A
— WGAL (@WGAL) March 17, 2025
The consequences were reportedly catastrophic. Garcia suffered third-degree burns to his penis, groin, and inner thighs, requiring two painful skin grafts at Grossman Burn Center. His attorneys revealed that any friction to the area now causes Garcia permanent pain.
“No amount of money can undo the permanent catastrophic harm he has suffered, but this jury verdict is a critical step in holding Starbucks accountable for flagrant disregard for customer safety and failure to accept responsibility,” said Nick Rowley, Garcia’s attorney, in a scathing press release.
Garcia’s lawsuit blamed his life-altering injuries directly on Starbucks, claiming the employee didn’t properly secure the dangerously hot tea in the takeout tray.
The coffee giant plans to fight back, announcing its intention to appeal the verdict.
“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,” Starbucks said in a statement. The company added it has “always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores.”
This headline-grabbing case drew immediate comparisons to the infamous McDonald’s coffee lawsuit from 1992, when 79-year-old Stella Liebeck suffered severe third-degree burns after a McDonald’s coffee spilled in her lap at a New Mexico drive-thru.
Liebeck initially only asked McDonald’s to pay her medical bills and filed suit after the company refused. She was awarded $2.7 million in punitive damages, later reduced by a judge before McDonald’s settled for an undisclosed amount under $600,000.
The Los Angeles court ordered Starbucks to pay Garcia within 30 days, though the appeal will likely delay the payment.