LA Jury Hits Starbucks With $50,000,000 After Penis Burned by Hot Tea

The Michael Garcia vs. Starbucks case involved a lawsuit filed by Michael Garcia against Starbucks, claiming that he suffered severe burns from hot tea that spilled on him at a drive-thru window on February 8, 2020.

While working for Postmates, Garcia received a cup caddy with 3 cups of hot water for tea. One of them had a lid that was not on correctly. Hot water spilled shortly after it was handed to him, resulting in permanent injuries, including burns to his crotch and his penis.

The verdict in this case, as reported on March 14, 2025, was that Starbucks was ordered to pay Michael Garcia $50 million in damages. The jury found Starbucks 100% liable for the incident in a unanimous verdict, with an 11-1 ruling that Garcia bore zero negligence.

Barista handed 3 cups of tea through a drive through window. One spilled and at 180 degrees farenheit, caused Plaintiff's injuries.

The damages award came after a trial where Garcia's lawyers sought between $75 million and $125 million, while Starbucks argued for a range of $7.5 million to $10 million.

File photo of a Starbucks interior. None of the people pictured were involved in the incident described in this story.

The final amount of $50 million was determined by nine out of twelve jurors, the minimum required for a decision. It followed less than 8 hours of deliberations Thursday afternoon and Friday morning on March 14, 2025.

This outcome reflects the jury's assessment of the severe impact on Garcia's life, contrasted with Starbucks' contention that not all of his injuries stemmed directly from the spill and that other factors, such as his pre-existing diabetes, may have contributed to his difficulties. Nonetheless, the jury sided fully with Garcia on liability, marking a significant ruling against Starbucks in this burn injury case.

California is known as a trial lawyers paradise, where the rules of court very much favor the Plaintiff.