Starbucks Ordered to Pay $50M to Deliver Driver Who Suffered "Debilitating Nerve Damage to His Genitals" After Spilling Hot Drinks on His Lap

Yahoo! - A Los Angeles County jury says Starbucks is liable for injuries of a customer burned during a botched drive-through drink handoff — to the tune of $50 million.

L.A. resident Michael Garcia claimed that he was severely burned in 2020 after his tray of hot teas "caved in on itself," he said in a deposition. First one, then another hot drink toppled onto his lap, their lids popping off. He suffered severe burns, including to his genitalia, he claimed.

Garcia accused Starbucks of negligence, and produced a store security video that appeared to show that one of the Venti-sized drinks sat askew in the tray as a barista passed the order to him through a drive-through window.

I don't say this often in life, but I desperately need to see this mans penis. I can't in good conscious weigh in on the appropriateness of the court's decision unless I see Mr. Garcia's cock & balls in 4k, along with a detailed breakdown of what he went through surgery wise, along with a reliable number 1-10 on a pain scale for how much it hurts when he gets an erection, when he cums, and when he pees. All those things must have been shown in court right? What a trial that must have been. The humiliations of suffering through that trial alone might be worth a few million in its own right. To go to court up against the best team of lawyers Starbucks can buy, with a whole room full of people watching a PowerPoint presentation of your dismembered groin. 

Your own lawyer, who's also going for the payday of his life, is saying things like, "Look at my client's cock & balls. They are permanently ruined. Mr. Garcia will never have sex again for the rest of his life. Look at him! *points to Mr. Garcia*, He's a freak! Mr. Garcia is no longer a man! Even if his penis worked, no woman is going to touch him. No woman wants to be with THAT. My client's penis is a monstrosity. It's lewd, lascivious, salacious, outrageous!"

Then on the other side you have Starbucks' lawyers, who are in a position where they're kinda the ones comforting you, "Look guys, his penis is not THAT bad. I'm sure the burns will heal over time. And there are still plenty of ways to pleasure of women. Some women don't even like penetrative sex. It's not like he can't achieve orgasm. Men have G-spots too. Honestly a burned crotch might even be a turn on for some ladies. There's a lot of weirdo kinks out there. He'll be fine. He's totally still a man. More of a man than ever if you ask me."

All while you're standing there perfectly still, because to sit down or make any movements means excruciating pain. His crotch must be in horrific condition for him to be awarded $50 million. The way the number got all the way up to $50 million is actually kind of funny.

Dexerto - The publication says that Starbucks initially offered Garcia $3M before the lawsuit went to trial, and later upped that offer to $30,000,000. Garcia agreed to the latter amount, but under the condition that they apologize, change their policies, and issue a memo to stores telling them to double-check their hot drinks before handing them to customers.

Starbucks allegedly declined those terms, which led to the lawsuit going to trial and Garcia receiving his $50M settlement.

Imagine turning down a guaranteed $30 million to take you chances at trial because Starbucks wouldn't say sorry and issue a memo. To his credit it worked. But that is nuts. On both ends. That's a $20 million apology. Mr. Garcia really must be in a living hell. When I first saw this headline, my initial reaction is that I would sign up for that in a heartbeat. $50M for a burned goin is a no brainer. To not be able to have sex is one thing... but if it hurts desperately to pee... if you're experiencing kidney stone passing levels of pain 5-7 times per day of the rest of your life. There's legitimately no amount of money to make that worth it. 

Unfortunatel,y I can't find any reliable information on exactly how bad Mr. Garcia has it. Obviously the prosecution and defense are saying very different things.

Prosecution:
CNN - Michael Garcia was picking up drinks at a drive-through in Los Angeles when he “suffered severe burns, disfigurement, and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals when hot drinks ultimately spilled” onto his lap, according to the lawsuit filed in California Superior Court in 2020. The lawsuit accused Starbucks of breaching its duty of care by failing to secure the lid.

Michael Parker, Garcia’s lawyer, said his client was picking up three beverages and one of the hot drinks wasn’t fully pushed into the container. When the barista handed Garcia the order, a drink fell out of the container and onto Garcia, Parker said.

Garcia’s damages included physical pain, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation, inconvenience, grief, disfigurement, physical impairment, anxiety and emotional distress, according to a recording of the verdict from Courtroom View Network.

Defense:
Yahoo! - Starbucks in its initial response argued that Garcia did not sustain "any injury, damage or loss by reason of any act or omission" by its employees, court documents said.

During the trial, the company further alleged some fault lay with Garcia as a result of "contributory negligence," the documents said.

When you watch the video, you can't help but think if Mr. Garcia was more careful that the drinks wouldn't have spilled. Neither him or the barista are 100% blameless. It really is Starbucks the company's fault as whole. For a company like Starbucks who's worth over $100 billion, and prints money every day from selling hot drinks, they should really have a more secure way to pass scolding hot beverages to customers. Just spend a little more money on your drink treys guys. Give us something that's halfway secure, and isn't liable to be spilled on a customers lap if he's a little bit negligent. If your entire business is selling drinks, the least you could do is invest in some sturdy drink carriers. 

I don't know exactly how bad this guy's injuries are. When you see that someone was awarded $50 million, it's only logical to think his life must be permanently ruined. But who knows. Maybe this really is an all-time fleecing. Maybe Mr. Garcia was in the right place at the right time, and was lucky enough to catch a judge who felt like hammering a billion dollar company with a lawsuit. 5 years from now he could be a perfectly healthy $50-millionaire with a almost totally normal penis. If so, then good for him. I'll never not be on the side of the average Joe when going up against a corporation as massive as Starbucks. No matter how petty the lawsuit. Congrats on the pay day brother.