Starbucks customer claims tea spill left him with ‘debilitating nerve damage’ to genitals after table mishap
A man sustained 'catastrophic burns and injuries' and 'debilitating nerve damage' to his privates after a hot drink was spilled on his lap at Starbucks, a lawsuit has claimed.
Oil executive Vladimir Podlipskiy had ordered a tea while meeting colleagues at a Starbucks outlet in San Diego, California, in August 2024.
A complaint raised by Podlipskiy, 63, alleges that the table where he was sitting was 'wobbly', and that an employee had asked him to 'move closer' to it.
The lawsuit was filed on June 24 in San Diego Superior Court, and claims that the hot drink subsequently spilled into Podlipskiy's 'lap, groin area, and genitals'.
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It goes on to allege that this caused 'catastrophic burns and injuries', such as 'disfigurement, debilitating nerve damage to his genitals, physical pain, mental suffering, [and] emotional distress'.
Describing what allegedly happened in the moments leading up to the spill, the suit says: “During the meeting, a Starbucks employee asked [Podlipskiy] multiple times to move closer to his table.
“The table was unstable, loose, defective, and/or wobbly. [The employee] knew or… should have known that directing customers to move closer to an unstable table while a hot beverage was present created a foreseeable risk that the hot beverage would spill onto and burn a customer.”
The complaint claims that Podlipskiy did not do anything which caused the drink to be spilled.
Instead, it accuses Starbucks of failing to 'exercise reasonable care with respect to the preparation, handling, service, securing, and presentation of hot beverages, and with respect to the safety, inspection, maintenance, and stability of tables and seating areas used by customers such as [Podlipskiy]'.
It goes on to claim that the coffee giant showed negligence in 'directing, requesting, and/or requiring [Podlipskiy] to move closer to the unstable table while a hot drink was present', claiming that Starbucks had a responsibility 'not to expose customers… to foreseeable risks of harm from hot beverages, unstable tables, and unsafe seating conditions'.
Serving Podlipskiy a hot tea on an 'unstable' table, as well as the lid allegedly not being secure on the cup, and 'repeatedly' asking him to move his chair forward, was creating a scenario with a risk of injury, the suit alleges.
Lawyer Nick Rowley is representing the oil and gas executive and told The Independent that Podlipskiy 'was served a scalding cup of hot tea that did not have the lid on right'.
He added: “He was handed a burn. Multiple witnesses saw this happen. The spill caused horrific burns to his penis and groin resulting in permanent disfigurement and sexual dysfunction.
“As we have done so in the past, we intend to hold Starbucks fully accountable for its negligence.”
Starbucks filed an answer to the suit on August 6, denying 'each, every, and all of the allegations', as well as alleging that Podlipskiy 'may have failed in his duty to mitigate his damages'.
The reply continued: “Among other issues, Plaintiff may have failed to seek timely or recommended medical care, and/or failed to take any or appropriate action in an attempt to reduce or eliminate any alleged scarring or pigment changes.”
UNILAD has approached Starbucks for comment.
Topics: World News, Court, Starbucks
Kit Roberts