Burns to genitals and buttocks: More lawsuits against Starbucks

California (USA) - Just a few weeks ago, Starbucks was ordered by a court to pay compensation of around 50 million US dollars to one of its customers. Now two more people have come forward who have apparently also fallen victim to hot tea.

Both plaintiffs allegedly suffered severe burns from a drink from the coffee giant Starbucks.
Both plaintiffs allegedly suffered severe burns from a drink from the coffee giant Starbucks.  © Andrej Sokolow/dpa

A report from"abc-News" states that both charges were filed in the state of California in the USA .

The first case involves Sabrina Michelle Hermes, who is said to have "seriously injured" herself at Starbucks two years ago.

According to the case, she drove her car through the "drive-in" of a Starbucks branch to place her order as usual. When she got it, one of the employees must not have closed the lid on one of her drinks properly, which is why the hot liquid poured over Michelle's legs, hips, knees and feet.

The lawsuit states that "Starbucks had a duty to exercise reasonable care in the preparation, handling and serving of the beverages to prevent them from spilling on and injuring customers like Plaintiff."

Michelle and her attorney are seeking damages from the company that include reimbursement for past and future medical expenses as well as lost income due to her absence from work.

Starbucks drink disfigured a man's genitals

The Starbucks company intends to appeal against all lawsuits, including the court ruling already handed down.
The Starbucks company intends to appeal against all lawsuits, including the court ruling already handed down.  © Michael Kappeler/dpa

When asked by the newspaper, a Starbucks spokesperson said that the company would contest the lawsuit. He also defended the employees of the individual stores.

The company describes Michelle's allegations as "unfounded" and says they look forward to presenting their side of the story in court.

Not far from the scene of the incident, Ernesto Vladimir Sanchez Avendano and his lawyer are also suing the coffee company for an unspecified amount of damages for the same reasons. Ernesto is also said to have parked his car in a drive-thru one day to order a drink.

When it was handed to him, the lid came off and the hot contents splashed onto his lap, causing Ernesto to suffer severe burns, disfigurement and paralyzing nerve damage to his genitals and buttocks, according to his own testimony.

The Starbucks spokesperson also reported that the charges would be "carefully reviewed" in relation to this lawsuit.