An Oregon woman wants Starbucks to pay her the “grande” sum of $300,000 because, she claims, she was burned so badly by hot water at one of its shops that she needed skin grafts, a report said.
Philina Cha filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking $288,000 from the coffee chain two years after she claims she was badly burned after ordering a cup of java and hot water at a Starbucks in Portland, The Oregonian reports.
The cup containing the allegedly searing water served to Cha either didn’t have a lid or had one that didn’t fit properly, she claims. The hot water spilled down her leg and into her boot, Cha’s lawsuit claims.
The resulting burns were allegedly so severe that Cha needed skin grafts after the November 2017 incident.
She also still has scarring from her injuries, according to the lawsuit, which seeks $38,000 for medical bills and $250,000 for pain, suffering and embarrassment related to the scars.
Messages seeking comment from Cha and her attorney, Tom Patton, were not immediately returned Friday.
Starbucks, meanwhile, responded to Cha’s claims on Thursday, characterizing them as “without merit” in a statement to the newspaper.
“Our partners (employees) take great care in ensuring our beverages are crafted with care and at the proper temperature,” the statement read. “The customer requested hot water with her coffee and our partners obliged in providing it to her safely. Customer and partner safety is of utmost importance, and we make every effort to ensure that we uphold that value.”
The lawsuit is similar to another claim filed by an Oregon mother against McDonald’s in October 2018 on behalf of her 14-year-old daughter, claiming the girl had second-degree burns after a fast-food employee spilled scalding water on her.
A trial date in the case has been scheduled for June, The Oregonian reports.
In 2017, a Florida woman was awarded more than $100,000 after being burned by a cup of Starbucks coffee that spilled into her lap after its lip popped off. The 43-year-old mother was permanently scarred by the 190-degree drink while handing it to a passenger three years earlier.