In Garcia v. Starbucks Corp., a Los Angeles jury awarded Postmates delivery driver Michael Garcia $50 million on March 14, 2025, after finding that a Starbucks barista handed him an unsecured cup of scalding hot tea at a drive-through, causing third-degree burns to his groin. The $50 million Starbucks verdict was entirely compensatory, Starbucks filed a notice of appeal, and the case was dismissed at the trial court level on July 15, 2025, though no payment to Garcia has been publicly confirmed.1Courthouse News Service. Starbucks Can’t Dodge $50M Verdict for Spilled Tea That Burned Postmates Driver’s Penis2Trellis Law. Amended Complaint Filed by Michael Garcia
What Happened at the Drive-Through
On February 8, 2020, Garcia, then 25, pulled into a Starbucks drive-through in South Los Angeles to pick up three “medicine ball” drinks, a menu item made with steamed lemonade and tea and served at roughly 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Surveillance video, obtained only after a court order compelled Starbucks to produce it, showed a barista placing one of the cups only partway into its cardboard carrier. Within 1.4 seconds of the tray reaching Garcia’s hands through the window, the unsecured cup tipped and spilled into his lap.3NBC Los Angeles. Los Angeles $50 Million Verdict Starbucks Hot Tea Medicine Ball4Expert Institute. Starbucks Burn Injury Lawsuit5Trial Lawyers for Justice. Jury Awards $50 Million to Delivery Driver After Hot Starbucks Drink Scalds Genitals
The Extent of Garcia’s Injuries
Garcia suffered third-degree burns to his penis and inner thighs. He underwent multiple surgeries and skin grafts. Trial evidence documented permanent disfigurement, including discoloration, a physical reduction in size, and an inability to maintain a complete erection. His attorneys said intercourse and ordinary daily activities remained painful. Garcia also suffers from severe PTSD tied to the incident, a diagnosis Starbucks’ own expert witness acknowledged at trial.3NBC Los Angeles. Los Angeles $50 Million Verdict Starbucks Hot Tea Medicine Ball1Courthouse News Service. Starbucks Can’t Dodge $50M Verdict for Spilled Tea That Burned Postmates Driver’s Penis
How the Jury Reached 100 Percent Liability
The trial was bifurcated, with the jury deciding liability first and damages afterward. Garcia’s team, led by Nicholas Rowley and Michael Parker of Trial Lawyers for Justice along with Daniel Bidegaray of Bidegaray Law Firm, argued from the surveillance footage that the barista violated Starbucks’ own policy requiring drinks to be fully secured in carriers before being handed off.5Trial Lawyers for Justice. Jury Awards $50 Million to Delivery Driver After Hot Starbucks Drink Scalds Genitals6CVN Blog. Starbucks Found Liable for Customer’s Burns From Beverage Spill
Starbucks, defended by Stephen Pelletier of Price Pelletier LLP, told the jury that its accident reconstruction expert had concluded Garcia was in “full control” of the drinks when they spilled and that employees had followed company training during the handoff. The defense also pointed to Garcia’s unrestrained dog in the vehicle as a possible distraction and argued that his experience with prior drive-through pickups should have led him to take more care. During damages, Starbucks emphasized his pre-existing childhood-onset diabetes and noted that active medical treatment had ended within months.7Trial Lawyers for Justice. Starbucks Found Liable for Customer’s Burns From Beverage Spill4Expert Institute. Starbucks Burn Injury Lawsuit
The jury rejected each of these arguments unanimously. It found Starbucks 100 percent liable and assigned zero fault to Garcia.8CNN. Starbucks Hot Coffee Driver Verdict
What the $50 Million Covers
The full $50 million was compensatory. Garcia’s attorneys did not seek punitive damages. With pre-judgment interest and attorney fees included, lead counsel Nick Rowley estimated Starbucks’ total obligation at roughly $61.7 million, a figure he said would rise by an additional $12 million if Starbucks pursued an unsuccessful appeal.1Courthouse News Service. Starbucks Can’t Dodge $50M Verdict for Spilled Tea That Burned Postmates Driver’s Penis A Starbucks spokesperson called the award “excessive,” disagreed with the finding of fault, and said the company “has always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores.”9CBS News Los Angeles. Los Angeles Man Awarded $50 Million in Case Against Starbucks
The Settlement Offers Garcia Turned Down
Starbucks had two chances to end the case before the verdict. It offered $3 million before trial, which Garcia rejected. After the liability finding but before damages were decided, Starbucks raised the offer to $30 million, on the condition of a confidentiality agreement. Garcia refused because he wanted a public apology and a company-wide safety memo to all Starbucks employees. Starbucks declined those terms.10CVN Blog. $50M Awarded to Starbucks Patron Over Hot Drink Spill
Post-Trial Motions and the Judge’s Ruling
Starbucks moved for a new trial and to reduce the judgment. Its post-trial attorney, Rich Moore of Williams & Connolly, called the $50 million figure “wildly disproportionate” and “exponentially higher than any verdict in American history for a case like this.” Starbucks also argued that Rowley’s closing argument had been prejudicial, citing his reference to the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as improper rhetoric, and that the court had wrongly excluded both a report suggesting Garcia had been tending to his dog and medical bills during the damages phase.1Courthouse News Service. Starbucks Can’t Dodge $50M Verdict for Spilled Tea That Burned Postmates Driver’s Penis
On June 4, 2025, Judge Frederick Shaller denied both motions and left the verdict intact. He said it was “outrageous that it ever came to court.”1Courthouse News Service. Starbucks Can’t Dodge $50M Verdict for Spilled Tea That Burned Postmates Driver’s Penis
The Appeal and July 2025 Dismissal
Starbucks filed a notice of appeal to the California Court of Appeal.11Tavrn. Starbucks Drive-Thru Lawsuit The case docket then shows a “Request for Dismissal — After Jury Trial” entered on July 15, 2025, closing the matter at the trial court.2Trellis Law. Amended Complaint Filed by Michael Garcia The terms of any resolution have not been made public. As of early 2026, no payment to Garcia has been confirmed, and the appeal remained nominally pending. The combination of a dismissal filing alongside an outstanding appeal is consistent with a confidential settlement, though neither side has confirmed one.
How This Compares to Liebeck and Other Starbucks Burn Cases
The verdict drew immediate comparisons to Liebeck v. McDonald’s, the 1994 case in which a woman burned by McDonald’s coffee was initially awarded nearly $3 million, later significantly reduced. Both cases turned on whether a large chain took adequate precautions with beverages served at dangerously high temperatures.12NBC News. Man Awarded $50 Million Starbucks Hot Tea Starbucks has faced other burn-injury suits alleging faulty lids and excessive temperatures, and reporting has indicated the company receives roughly 80 complaints per month about lids popping off drinks.13ABC7 News. Starbucks $50 Million Burn Injury What sets Garcia’s award apart is that all $50 million was compensatory rather than punitive, a distinction that narrows the grounds on which an appellate court could call it excessive under California law.