A South Los Angeles woman is suing Starbucks for negligence after she claims she suffered a burn at a drive-thru window in Lynwood.
Muriel Evans filed a complaint Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Compton. She claims a faulty lid on a coffee cup and excessive heat from her drink caused severe burns after a barista spilled coffee on her lap.
Evans is seeking general and special damages, including medical, hospital and incidental expenses, and punitive damages to “set an example” for Starbucks. He claims the company is indifferent “to the obviously dangerous mix of excessively high temperatures combined with defective lids.”
“Starbucks has demonstrated a reckless disregard for the safety of its customers and continues to serve scalding hot coffee in defective cups despite countless reports and warnings,” Evans’ attorney, Nick Rowley, said in a statement.
A Starbucks representative responded briefly: “We take pride in ensuring our beverages are crafted with care and delivered to customers safely. We take all claims seriously, but will not comment on pending litigation.”
Evans walked into the Starbucks drive-thru on Aug. 25, 2022, and ordered a coffee, according to the lawsuit.
A Starbucks employee then “mishandled” the coffee and spilled it on Evans’ lap, sending the hot liquid running down her left leg, according to the lawsuit.
A South Los Angeles woman says she suffered serious leg injuries after the lid of a Starbucks coffee cup came off at 190 degrees.
(Courtesy of Trial Lawyers for Justice)
Evans said he suffered severe and permanent burns to his body, as well as nerve damage and disfigurement.
Evans' legal team believes the temperature of the coffee was 190 degrees, just shy of boiling point.
Previous Starbucks guides listed most hot beverages in Between 150 and 170 degrees.
Water heated to 120 degrees takes five to ten minutes to cause a third-degree burn; at 131 degrees, it takes 10 to 30 seconds; and at 140 degrees, it takes two to five seconds, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
As for tapas, there are has been Various media articles and threads and videos complaining about Starbucks lids and how easy they are to fall off, including on Reddit and TikTok.
Starbucks faces similar lawsuits over lids.
TO San Fernando Valley Teenager In June, she filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging she was burned by hot tea. The teen's drink had two cups, but the lid came loose, according to the suit.
“Muriel Evans suffered severe burns because Starbucks prioritized cost-cutting over basic customer safety,” Rowley said. “We intend to hold Starbucks accountable for its blatant disregard and gross negligence.”
