CVN screenshot of plaintiff attorney Nick Rowley delivering his closing argument
Los Angeles, CA - A California state court jury ordered Starbucks to pay a man $50 million on Friday, after he accused a drive-through worker of accidentally spilling a hot drink on his thighs and genitals, and the full trial was recorded gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network.
Plaintiff Michael Garcia, a food delivery worker, accused the Starbucks employee of failing to properly secure the drinks in a takeout tray while handing them across the drive-through window.
Attorney Nick Rowley of Trial Lawyers for Justice, who represents Garcia, told CVN after the trial the verdict exceeds his highest settlement demand of $19 million and far surpasses Starbucks’ pre-trial settlement offer of $3 million. Starbucks released a statement after the trial stating they would appeal the verdict, characterizing the award as "excessive."
The trial was bifurcated into a liability phase and a damages phase. Both portions of the trial are available for unlimited on-demand viewing with a monthly or annual subscription to CVN’s online trial video library, which also includes hundreds of other trials featuring many of the top plaintiff and defense attorneys in the country.
Rowley told told CVN that after the trial began Starbucks increased their settlement offer to $30 million but wanted the agreement kept confidential, however Rowley would only accept the terms if the company issued a public apology along with a safety memo to all restaurant employees.
Ultimately the case proceeded to trial, where in the liability phase Starbucks maintained Garcia actually had physical control of the drinks when they spilled. During the damages phase they argued his injuries were less severe than presented.
Rowley said the risks of an adverse jury verdict were worth it for what he hopes will be policy changes to keep more customers safe.
“Starbucks wanted to sweep this under the rug and hide its negligence from the world,” Rowley told CVN. “We were willing to get less to make sure that we effectuated change.”
Starbucks was represented by Stephen Pelletier of Price Pelletier.
The trial took place before Judge Frederick Shaller.
The case is captioned Michael Garcia v. Starbucks Corporation, case number 20STCV10214 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
E-mail David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com