A jury has awarded a California man $50 million for injuries he suffered after a hot Starbucks drink spilled onto his lap.
The law firm representing Michael Garcia posted about the case, saying, "The barista working the window negligently failed to properly 'secure' one of the scalding hot drinks into the drink carrier, causing it to immediately fall into Michael's lap a second after it was handed over to him, causing third degree burns to his penis, groin, and inner thighs."
The law firm, Trial Lawyers For Justice, said there was a attempt to reach a settlement for a smaller amount, "Only if Starbucks agreed to publicly apologize and promise to change policy to prevent this from happening again."
Garcia's lawyers said he required hospitalization and multiple skin grafts and has endured pain and dysfunction since the incident a little over five years ago.
Starbucks said it sympathized with Garcia but planned to appeal.
"We disagree with the jury's decision that we were at fault for this incident and believe the damages awarded to be excessive," the Seattle-based coffee giant said in a statement, adding that it was "committed to the highest safety standards" in handling hot drinks.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.