Another Starbucks customer sued the coffee store chain Thursday, alleging he suffered injuries after a hot drink handed out by a drive-thru employee in North Hollywood spilled onto his lap due to an unsecured lid.
Ernesto Vladimir Sanchez Avendano's Alhambra Superior Court negligence suit seeks unspecified general and special damages.
RELATED: Delivery driver severely burned by hot tea at Starbucks awarded $50 million by LA jury
According to the suit, Avendano went to the Starbucks store on the 12500 block of Sherman Way in North Hollywood on April 3, 2023, ordered a hot drink in the drive-thru and proceeded to the pickup window. However, the lid on the drink handed to him by an employee was not properly fastened, and hot liquid spilled onto Avendano's lap, leaving him with "severe burns, disfigurement and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals and buttocks," the suit states.
"No reasonable expectation of an unsecure lid on a cup of hot liquid can be attributed to plaintiff's conduct," the suit states.
Recently, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury ordered Starbucks to pay $50 million to Postmates delivery driver Michael Garcia, who suffered third-degree burns when a hot drink spilled on him in February 2020 due to an improperly secured lid after his order was handed to him at a South Los Angeles drive-thru.
Last Thursday, Sabrina Michelle Hermes filed a similar negligence suit regarding injuries she contends she suffered at a Starbucks store drive-thru in Norwalk in 2023.
A Starbucks Corp. representative issued a statement Wednesday regarding Avendano's suit.
"We have always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores, including the handling of hot drinks," the statement read. "We have not received service of this suit but will carefully review Mr. Avendano's claims."
Earlier Wednesday, the company responded to Hermes' lawsuit, saying the plaintiff's claims are "without merit."
"… We are aware of Ms. Hermes' claims and firmly believe they are without merit. We look forward to presenting our case in court."
Hermes' Norwalk Superior Court negligence suit seeks unspecified general and special damages, including reimbursement for past and future medical costs and lost earnings.
According to the suit, Hermes went to the Starbucks store on the 11000 block of Firestone Boulevard on April 2, 2023, and bought hot drinks in the drive-thru. But because one cup was not properly secured, the liquid spilled onto various parts of her body, including her legs, a hip, thighs, a knee and her feet, causing serious injuries, the suit states.
Starbucks "owed a duty to exercise reasonable care with respect to the preparation, handling and service of hot beverages so as to prevent them from spilling onto and injuring customers such as plaintiff," the suit states.
Originally Published: April 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM PDT
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