A jury on Friday awarded a delivery driver $50 million in damages after he suffered third-degree burns while picking up an improperly secured drink at a Starbucks drive-through in Los Angeles, the driver’s attorneys said.

Starbucks was ordered to pay Michael Garcia, a delivery driver who was burned by hot tea in a California drive-thru, $50 million, a Los Angeles jury decided on March 14, 2025. The coffeehouse chain plans to appeal the verdict,

Michael Garcia, the delivery driver, picked up an order from the Starbucks outlet in Los Angeles on February 8, 2020. However, the hot venti drink spilled on his lap after the barista failed to properly secure the container,