Woman burnt by coffee spill at Starbucks restaurant awarded $100,000
20 May 2017
A woman who suffered severe burns after a lid popped off her 20-ounce Venti Pike Place Roast in a Starbucks drive-thru has been awarded $100,000 by a jury in Florida.
The incident occurred in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2014, and the case was filed in 2015.
Forty-three year old, Joanne Mogavero suffered first- and second-degree burns due to the spill. According to the law firm's release, a Starbucks representative testified that the Seattle-based coffee giant ''gets 80 complaints a month about lid leaks and lids popping off'' and that the company argued during trial that it ''would not be relevant'' to warn customers of the risk.
''My client didn't want sympathy from the jury - she wanted justice - and the jury gave it to her with its verdict,'' Morgan & Morgan attorney Steve Earle said. Starbucks said it was considering an appeal, adding that the company stands behind its employees, maintaining ''that they did nothing wrong.''
Mogavero's lawyers had argued that Starbucks should warn its customers that lids could pop off.
The incident happened at a drive-through outlet in Jacksonville when she took a hot drink from an employee and prepared to pass it to her passenger.
Mogavero's legal team said in a statement, that a Starbucks representative had testified during the court hearing in Duval County, Florida, that the company received 80 complaints a month about problems with lids popping off or leaking.