Starbucks has lost a lawsuit to a man who suffered severe burns after a drink spilled in his lap at one of the chain’s California drive-thru locations.

On Friday, March 14, a Los Angeles County jury ordered the Seattle-based coffee company to pay delivery driver Michael Garcia, who was burned in the drive-thru incident, a sum of $50 million, according to the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times and CBS Los Angeles.

Garcia suffered life-changing injuries, including third-degree burns and permanent injury to his genitals, as a result of the Feb. 8, 2020 drive-thru incident at an L.A. Starbucks location, in which a scalding drink spilled into his lap moments after he collected it from a barista, the outlets reported.

The L.A.-based delivery driver was picking up three Venti-sized “medicine ball” drinks — an off-menu item featuring tea, lemonade and honey — when a Starbucks barista “negligently” put one of them in the to-go carrier with an unsecured lid, per court records obtained by the L.A. Times.

After the barista handed Garcia the tray, the lid popped off of the unsecured tea drink and the contents fell into his lap within seconds, as seen in surveillance footage of the incident provided by Trial Lawyers for Justice. Garcia suffered third-degree burns as a result.

According to Garcia’s attorney and Trial Lawyers for Justice co-founder, Nick Rowley, the delivery driver had to receive two skin grafts on his penis, which was permanently discolored and disfigured, and now results in only painful sex.

Scorching Starbucks Tea Spill Leaves Man Permanently Disfigured—Jury Orders $50M Payout!

A Los Angeles County jury has hammered Starbucks with a $50 million verdict after delivery driver Michael Garcia suffered excruciating burns to his genitals from a scalding-hot tea spill at a California drive-thru.

The shocking incident happened on February 8, 2020, when a venti-sized tea—served at dangerously high temperatures—tipped over moments after being handed to Garcia. His lawsuit accused Starbucks of negligence, arguing that the employee failed to secure the cup properly in a takeout tray, leading to a horrific accident that left Garcia with permanent, life-changing injuries.

“This jury verdict is a powerful statement against corporations like Starbucks that put profits over customer safety,” said Nick Rowley, one of Garcia’s attorneys.

Starbucks Fights Back—Calls $50M Verdict ‘Excessive’

Despite the damning verdict, Starbucks isn’t backing down. The Seattle-based coffee giant released a statement dismissing the ruling and vowing to fight back in court.

“We strongly disagree with the jury’s decision and believe the damages awarded are outrageous,” Starbucks said. “We remain committed to the highest safety standards when handling hot drinks.”

But Garcia’s legal team says the coffee chain refuses to take responsibility for the catastrophic injuries its product caused. Skin grafts, unbearable pain, and permanent damage—this wasn’t just a simple spill; it was a life-altering disaster.

Not the First Time! Starbucks Joins Long List of Hot Beverage Lawsuits

This case echoes one of the most infamous lawsuits in fast-food history—the 1990s McDonald’s hot coffee scandal, where a woman was awarded nearly $3 million after suffering third-degree burns.

Other lawsuits have had mixed results, with some juries siding with fast-food giants and others holding them accountable. But Garcia’s $50M payout sends a clear message—restaurants serving boiling-hot drinks must protect their customers.

What’s Next? Will Starbucks Pay Up or Keep Fighting?

With $50 million on the line, Starbucks is gearing up for an appeal, determined to avoid paying what could be one of the largest hot beverage settlements in history.

But for Garcia, no amount of money will undo the pain, suffering, and disfigurement he’s endured. The public outrage is growing, with many calling for stricter safety regulations on hot drink temperatures and serving practices.

A California-based delivery driver on Friday was awarded $50 million from a lawsuit against Starbucks after he was burned by a hot beverage that spilled in his lap at a drive-thru.

Michael Garcia sued the popular coffee chain after having to undergo skin graft procedures on his legs and penis, which he says was caused by a scalding hot tea not being properly situated in the cardboard drink carrier. Garcia was burned from one of three venti-sized “Medicine Ball” beverages that he was picking up, per The Guardian. According to the outlet, a Medicine Ball is an off-menu item consisting of “steamed lemonade, hot water, Jade Citrus Mint green tea, Peach Tranquility tea and honey.” 

Garcia’s attorney, Nick Rowley, said in a press release that Garcia’s “life has been forever changed” by the accident.

“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,” Rowley said.

The attorney also noted that “Starbucks offered $30m to settle but wanted confidentiality. We said we would settle for $30m without confidentiality and only if Starbucks agreed to publicly apologize and promise to change policy to prevent this from happening again.”

Starbucks also issued a statement, saying they were sympathetic to Garcia’s pain but also that they planned to appeal the decision. The company said they have “always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores.”

“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 case is reminiscent of the famous 1990s case of a New Mexico woman who burned her legs with a hot cup of McDonald’s coffee. The late Stella Liebeck, who was 79 years old at the time, sustained third-degree burns in her pelvic region and was hospitalized for eight days while undergoing skin grafting, plus endured two additional years of medical treatment. 

Liebeck originally petitioned to settle with McDonald’s for $20,000 to cover her medical expenses, but the fast food chain declined, which led to her attorney suing for gross negligence. Liebeck was awarded $160,000 for medical expenses and $2.7 million in punitive damages, but that amount was later reduced by the judge. Liebeck and McDonald’s eventually settled for an undisclosed amount.

A California jury has ordered Starbucks to pay $50 million to a Postmates delivery driver who says he suffered third-degree burns after a barista handed him a hot tea that spilled and scalded his penis in 2020.

Michael Garcia, 30, suffered “severe burns, disfigurement, and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals” on Feb. 8, 2020, his lawyers wrote in court documents obtained Monday by USA TODAY.

The jury ruled that Garcia is now owed $50 million to compensate him for his “life-changing, catastrophic” injury, wrote his lawyer Michael Parker on Facebook on Sunday.

Garcia previously turned down an initial $3 million pre-trial offer from Starbucks, his attorneys said. Now he will instead get over $60 million after interest, attorneys fees and costs are added, his team said in a news release.

A spokesperson for Starbucks said in a statement Monday that the company has sympathy for Garcia’s plight but the jury got it wrong.

“We disagree with the jury’s decision that we were at fault for this incident and believe the damages awarded to be excessive,” spokesperson Jaci Anderson said. “We plan to appeal. We have always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores, including the handling of hot drinks.”

Video of the incident taken from inside the Starbucks location and reviewed by USA TODAY shows a barista handing the drink tray to Garcia. When the drink spills into his lap, he screams and his vehicle drives forward.

What happened to Michael Garcia?

Garcia, who was 25 at the time, was working for food delivery service Postmates on Feb. 8 2020 when he went to a Los Angeles Starbucks drive-thru to pick up three “medicine ball” hot teas, according to another lawyer working the case, Nicholas Rowley of Trial Lawyers for Justice.

The barista working the window did not properly “secure” one of the hot drinks into its drink carrier, according to Rowley. Within 1.4 seconds of Garcia taking the drink tray, the cup fell into his lap and the lid came off the cup. 

He was taken to the emergency room, where doctors ruled that the scalding tea caused third-degree burns to his penis, groin, and inner thighs, his lawyers said. He was hospitalized and had to undergo multiple skin grafts.

Garcia was sent to a burn center, where they performed two skin grafts on his penis. Doctors also performed a procedure that removed the nerves from his penis, allowing him to feel more sensation. Doctors applied pig skin to save his penis.

Any friction around his genitals causes pain, and he now suffers from severe post-traumatic stress disorder from the incident, his lawyers said.

What else has Starbucks said about the incident?

Garcia’s lawyers said Starbucks has denied responsibility for the incident, despite having a corporate policy that requires its workers to secure drinks in the tray before handing them over to customers.

“Despite being repeatedly warned about the dangers of improperly secured drinks, (Starbucks)  chose to ignore safety,” Rowley said in a news release, adding that Garcia’s life has “been forever changed.”

According to Garcia’s lawyers, Starbucks offered $3 million before the trial began, then $30 million to settle the case. Garcia initially agreed to $30 million as long as Starbucks would apologize, change its policies and issue a memo to all Starbucks restaurants to double check hot drinks before turning them over to customers.

Starbucks would not agree to the terms, Garcia’s lawyers said, leading the jury to rule that they must pay Garcia $50 million, which will amount to over $60 million after fees and interest.

Parker, another lawyer on Garcia’s team, said on Sunday that they fought for years for the outcome they got.

“Starbucks refused to give up the video of the incident until our firm got a court order and Starbucks was sanctioned over $7,000 for not turning it over,” Parker said. “After seeing the video, the jury voted 12-0 that Starbucks was liable.”