By Mark Young, SouthFloridaReporter.com Managing Editor, Jan. 9, 2016 – Starbucks responded today to our Friday SouthFloridaReporter exclusive (see below) with the following statement:
“We are aware of the filing of the lawsuit and are investigating the plaintiff’s claims. While we are very sorry to hear of Mr. Romano’s reported injuries, we are unable to comment on active litigation matters.” – Jaime Riley, Starbucks spokesperson.
By Mark Young, SouthFloridaReporter.com Managing Editor, Jan. 8, 2016 – The SouthFloridaReporter has learned EXCLUSIVELY that a South Florida man is suing Starbucks for injuries suffered when a drive-thru employee allegedly failed to secure a lid on a coffee cup handed him, spilling hot coffee into his lap.
The lawsuit, filed by Christopher Romano, alleges that he suffered second-degree burns to his groin after a barista at a Pompano Beach Starbucks “failed to confirm [Romano’s] hold of the cup,” thus severely burning himself when the cup spilled, according to a complaint filed late Wednesday in the Broward Circuit Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In seeking damages in excess of $15,000, the complaint alleges that the coffee was “exceedingly hot, such that it was dangerous and unfit for human consumption.” Romano is represented by Marc Wites and Chad Robinson of Wites Kapetan in Lighthouse Point.
“There have been instances in which fast-food restaurants were sued over hot coffee,” Fort Lauderdale attorney Steve Swickle (not involved in the case) told SouthFloridaReporter. “Most famous was an early 1990’s case in which an elderly woman sued McDonald’s after she was burned by coffee that had been heated to approximately 190 degrees.”
An undisclosed settlement was eventually reached in the case of Liebeck vs. McDonald’s. Similar lawsuits received a fair amount of public scrutiny and accusations of frivolousness.
A call to Starbucks spokeswoman, Linda Mills, has not been returned.
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This is super hard to believe seeing as the coffee is not brewed very hot at starbucks. As a barista I’ve spilled a pretty decent amount of coffee on myself without suffering any kind of injury so…
your starbucks must be special, every starbucks I go to, when I order black coffee, I have to wait about 30 minutes for it to cool down enough for me to drink.
I’m not saying it’s not too hot for some to drink right away, but that store must have really messed with the brewer’s standard settings to make it “exceedingly hot, such that it was dangerous and unfit for human consumption.” Starbucks coffee is made at a standard temp, and the brewers do not continue to heat it as it sits.
You only know your experience. The coffee in NC gave that cop a third degree burn.
Well a fact you don’t know is that Starbucks attorney threatened to sue the cop after the lawsuit in NC. The company agreed not to sue the officer for their court costs if he agreed to seal the case so no one could read any of the discovery. Why seal the case Starbucks? Lots to hide. I hope this guy wins.