A woman in Florida who was burned by a cup of Starbucks coffee got the justice she fought for as a jury ordered the coffee giant to award her more than $100,000 for her injuries.
Joanne Mogavero won the suit she filed against Starbucks after the jury heard her case and ruled that the leading coffee shop was negligent for the lid popping off their coffee cup and sending the scalding hot beverage into her lap.
Mogavero’s lawyer narrated to the court that their client, a 43-year-old mom, was at a Starbucks drive-thru in July 2014 when she ordered the Venti Pike’s Place coffee. While passing the coffee to the passenger’s seat the lid suddenly just popped off and sent the 190-degree cup into Mogavero’s lap. As a result, Mogavero suffered permanent scarring.
The jury decided favorably for Mogavero as they awarded her with $15, 492.14 for her medical bills and an additional $85,000 for her pain and suffering.
Steve Earle, Mogavero’s lawyer, said that his client didn’t want sympathy from the jury, but she wanted justice and they gave her just that with their verdict.
Earle argued that the coffee shop should warn its customers that the lids can pop off. Starbucks failed to give Mogavero such a warning when she ordered, and after she got her drink. According to court documents, a Starbucks representative even testified during the trial that the coffee company receives 80 complaints a month about issues with lids popping off or leaking.
Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges said in a statement that the company is considering an appeal. Borges said that Starbucks is standing behind their store partners and employees in the Mogavero case and maintain that they did nothing wrong.
In 2015, a North Carolina cop also sued Starbucks for hot coffee-related injuries after the lid of his coffee cup came off as he was sitting down at the coffee shop, spilling the hot liquid in his lap.
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Pathetic, a lid that is designed to be popped on and off and some clumsy moneygrabber probably squeezes the cup while passing it gets paid. Welcome to the USA where you can get compensation if you don't get instructions on common sense, soon you'll have to supply instructions at birth… "Now remember breath in, breath out" USA = Unified Suers of Assholica, oh look there goes their leader, Dollar Grope.
My balls itch