Los Angeles, CA – A California state court jury found Starbucks liable on Wednesday for severe burns a Postmates driver suffered while picking up a drive-through order, and the full trial was webcast gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network.

The jury found Starbucks entirely responsible for plaintiff Michael Garcia’s injuries, assigning him no liability in the first phase of the bifurcated trial after 40 minutes of deliberation and setting up a second phase to determine damages next week to compensate for burns to his thighs and genitals. 

In a brief liability phase that only lasted two days, Garcia’s attorney Nick Rowley of Trial Lawyers for Justice told the Los Angeles County jury that the barista working the window failed to properly secure one of the hot drinks in the takeout container, however Starbucks unsuccessfully maintained the spill only occurred after Garcia had total physical control of the beverages.

Sign up today for a monthly or annual subscription to CVN’s trial video library and get unlimited on-demand access to last week’s liability phase, the upcoming damages phase, and hundreds more trials featuring many of the best plaintiff and defense attorneys in the country.

Rowley delivered a “hands on” opening statement with Garcia seated directly next to him, at times interacting with Garcia to recreate the act of handing a tray of drinks through a car window.

Rowley told jurors Starbucks had a documented corporate policy that drinks must be fully secured in a tray, and he said surveillance video from inside the drive-through clearly showed one of the three cups not fully placed in the container.

He also rejected arguments from Starbucks that having an unrestrained dog in the car contributed to Garcia’s injuries, stressing it wasn’t in violation of any local ordinance and that it shouldn’t affect how a Starbucks employee does their job.

“This young man did nothing to cause this to happen,” Rowley insisted. “Nothing at all.”

Representing Starbucks, Stephen Pelletier of Price Pelletier LLP disputed Rowley’s characterizing of the surveillance video, instead telling jurors that an accident reconstruction expert determined Garcia was in full control of the drinks when they spilled.

He argued Garcia had made similar orders countless times before, knew he would be holding scalding hot beverages, and should have taken the same care that he supposedly used every time prior.

Pelletier defended the training Starbucks employees undergo, and he said their actions that day all complied with those standards.

“In this case, the handoff was successful and it must be evaluated from the point where the drinks are moved from the counter all the way to point where the drink spilled,” Pelletier explained.

The trial is taking place before Judge Frederick Shaller.

The case is captioned Michael Garcia v. Starbucks Corporation, case number 20STCV10214 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The wreck happened in the California Heights neighborhood of Long Beach, California back in 2016. The jury’s decision was reached on Monday, February 10th of this year.

According to Long Beach Post, 43-year-old Leila Miyamoto was fully stopped in the road for at least a minute as she waited to make a left turn near Wardlow Road and

“The loaded truck weighing 37,000 pounds smashed into the rear of Leila Miyamoto’s van, totaling it and shattering the rear window,” her attorneys wrote in court filings.

The force of the impact caused Miyamoto’s head to slam into the steering wheel, and left her needing “numerous neck and back surgeries.”

“Her injuries and limitations since the time of the collision have put significant strain on her marital relationship and have hindered her ability to care for her children in the way she did before the crash and her quest to get the medical care that she needs in order to restore as much of her pre-collision functionality as possible has been long and arduous,” they wrote in court papers.

The negligence lawsuit was filed against Services Group of America, Inc., Food Services of America, Inc., Systems Services of America, Inc., and truck driver Daniel Almazan.

Defense attorneys argued that Miyamoto stopped suddenly in the roadway without using a turn signal, and that she has since overstated the extent of her injuries. However, the jury concluded that truck driver Almazan acted negligently when he crashed into the back of her van, despite the possibility that she stopped unsafely in the roadway. Miyamoto was awarded $21.3 million in the lawsuit.

“The jury saw through their attempts to distort the truth and delivered a powerful verdict for Leila who has endured years of pain and hardship,” Nick Rowley, an attorney for Miyamoto, said in a statement.

In a landmark victory for justice, a Los Angeles jury awarded $34 million to Leila Miyamoto-Workman, a mother whose life was turned upside down when a Systems Services of America truck rear-ended her minivan, causing a traumatic brain injury and requiring multiple surgeries. The verdict, secured by Trial Lawyers for Justice, underscores the importance of holding corporations and insurance companies accountable for their negligence.

A Devastating Collision, A Fight for Accountability

The accident occurred in 2016 at a Long Beach intersection while Miyamoto-Workman was waiting for left-turn traffic to clear. The impact was severe, leaving her with lasting physical and neurological injuries. However, instead of accepting responsibility, the defense attempted to blame Miyamoto-Workman, alleging that she had caused the accident by making a sudden stop.

The defense further downplayed the severity of her injuries, labeling them as exaggerated and attributing her medical care to attorney-driven influence rather than necessity. But Trial Lawyers for Justice knew the truth and fought tirelessly to expose these baseless claims.

Fighting Back Against Dishonest Defense Tactics

Led by Nicholas Rowley, the legal team took on corporate insurers who, for nearly nine years, refused to settle fairly. The defense even went as far as conducting surveillance on Miyamoto-Workman, trying to discredit her injuries. But Rowley and his team turned this underhanded tactic against them—demonstrating the daily challenges she faced just to manage basic tasks.

“We did something unprecedented. We took the video surveillance and used it to our advantage, showing everything Leila had to go through just to get to the point where she could leave her house a couple of days per week,” said Rowley.

A Life-Altering Verdict

The jury saw through the frivolous defense strategies and recognized the true impact of the crash on Miyamoto-Workman’s life. Their decision awarded her $21 million, with additional augmentations bringing the total to $34 million. The message was clear: corporations and insurers cannot evade responsibility for the harm they cause.

“This was greedy, despicable insurance company behavior,” Rowley emphasized. “It ruined a 34-year-old mother’s life, and they refused to accept responsibility. But justice prevailed.”

A Win for Injury Victims Everywhere

This case is more than just a financial victory—it’s a triumph for all personal injury victims fighting against powerful insurance companies that refuse to take accountability. Trial Lawyers for Justice remains committed to ensuring that everyday people receive the justice they deserve, no matter how big or powerful the opposition.

For those facing similar struggles, you are not alone. If you or a loved one has suffered due to corporate negligence, Trial Lawyers for Justice is here to fight for you.

A Los Angeles County jury has awarded $21.3 million in damages to a woman and her young son who were injured in 2016 when a tractor-trailer owned by a food distribution company slammed into the rear of their fully stopped minivan in Long Beach.

Leila Miyamoto of Long Beach sustained severe head trauma, a traumatic brain injury and chronic pain as a result of the crash, according to her attorneys, Trial Lawyers for Justice.

As a result of the jury verdict Monday, Feb. 10, the defendant, Phoenix-based Systems Services of America Inc., will be required to pay $13.2 million in costs and prejudgment interest, said Nini Wu, a spokesperson for Trial Lawyers for Justice.

The collision occurred July 18, 2016, near the intersection of East Wardlow Road and Elm Avenue in Long Beach.

Daniel Almazan was driving an 18-wheeler for Systems Services of America when he rear-ended the Toyota Sienna driven by 43-year-old Miyamoto. Her son, Jack, who was 9 years old at the time of the crash, was in the back seat.

According to Miyamoto, she had been stopped for about two minutes, waiting for traffic to clear so she could turn left when she was rear-ended by the tractor-trailer.

Miyamoto required the implantation of a spinal cord stimulator and has undergone multiple surgeries, including procedures on her neck, shoulders and lower back. Her attorneys said she also has grappled with significant emotional and psychological distress.

“It took a jury of 12 people out of the community to tell them, ‘You are 100% responsible for this,’ and Leila’s injuries are real,” said John Kawai, an attorney for Miyamoto.

During the trial, Systems Services of America’s attorneys argued Miyamoto’s injuries were less severe than she had claimed.

“The insurance companies involved in this case refused to fairly settle for eight-and-a-half years and threw many frivolous defenses at us,” said Keith Bruno, another attorney representing Miyamoto. “It didn’t work.”

Officials with Systems Services of America could not be reached for comment Tuesday to determine if the company intends to appeal the verdict.