Another Starbucks customer sued the coffee store chain Thursday, claiming that a North Hollywood drive-thru employee was injured in a hot drink spilled on his lap due to an unsecured lid.
Ernesto Vladimir Sanchez Avendano’s negligence lawsuit in the Alhambra Superior Court seeks unspecified general and special damages.
Related: A delivery driver who was badly burned with hot tea at Starbucks was awarded $50 million by the LA judges
According to the lawsuit, Avendano went to the Starbucks store in the 12,500 block of Sherman Way in North Hollywood on April 3, 2023, ordering hot drinks at the drive-thru and proceeded to the pick-up window. However, the lid of the drink handed over to him by the employee was not properly secured, and hot liquid spilled into Avendano’s knee, causing him to “defeated severe burns, appearance, nerve damage to the genitals and butt,” the lawsuit states.
“The reasonable expectation of a cup of hot liquid that is not safe can be attributed to the plaintiff’s conduct,” the lawsuit states.
Recently, a ju judge in Los Angeles Superior Court ordered Starbucks to pay $50 million to his postmate delivery driver in February 2020 when his order spilled on him for being improperly pinned to him, and then he suffered three-degree burns when his order spilled on him at a drive-thru in South Los Angeles.
Last Thursday, Sabrina Michelle Hermes filed a similar negligence lawsuit over her injuries claiming she suffered at a Starbucks store drive-thru in Norwalk in 2023.
Representatives from Starbucks Corp. issued a statement on Wednesday regarding the Avendano lawsuit.
“We have always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores, including handling hot drinks,” the statement read. “We are not being served in this lawsuit, but we will carefully review Mr. Avendano’s claims.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the company responded to Hermes’ lawsuit and said the plaintiff’s claims were “no merit.”
“…We are aware of Ms Hermes’ claims and we firmly believe they have no merit. We look forward to presenting our case in court.”
Hermes’ Norwalk Superior Court negligence lawsuit seeks unspecified general and special damages, including past and future medical expenses reimbursements and losses in revenue.
According to the lawsuit, Hermes went to the Starbucks store in the 11,000 block of Firestone Boulevard on April 2, 2023 and bought a hot drink at the drive-thru. However, because one cup is not properly secured, the liquid spills across various parts of her body, including her legs, hips, thighs, knees and feet, causing serious injuries, Suit said.
Starbucks was obliged to provide reasonable care with regard to the preparation, handling and service of hot beverages in order to spill or get injured by plaintiffs and other customers,” the lawsuit states.
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