Burned by coffee: Delivery driver awarded 50 million dollars in damages

It was in 2020. An American delivery driver was heading to a Starbucks drive-thru to collect his order. As he was driving his vehicle, one of the coffee cups tipped over onto his lap, causing third-degree burns.

A court in Los Angeles has just ordered the coffee chain to pay the delivery driver 50 million dollars, ruling that it was entirely responsible for the incident that happened 5 years earlier.

The victim's lawyer claims that his client's life has been "changed forever", citing "debilitating nerve damage", "disfigurement" and "post-traumatic stress", as reported by the French media La Dépêche. According to the complaint, negligence caused the accident. Indeed, the Starbucks employee allegedly didn't secure the coffee cups properly in the cardboard holder.

The company now expresses its disagreement with this verdict and intends to appeal. "We don't agree with the jury's decision that we're liable for this incident and believe the damages awarded are excessive," said a Starbucks spokesperson, quoted by CNN. The company underscored its commitment to adhering to "the strictest safety standards", which also applies to the handling of hot beverages.

(MH with Raphaël Liset - Source: La Dépêche - Illustration: ©Unsplash)