N.C. cop burned by free coffee sues Starbucks, cites lost intestine
RALEIGH, N.C. -- A Raleigh police officer who got a free cup of Starbucks coffee is suing the company for $50,000 after he spilled it and got burned.
CBS affiliate WRAL-TV reports attorneys said in court Monday that Matthew Kohr should be compensated for burns, blisters and emotional damage caused after the officer spilled a cup of coffee in his lap in 2012.
Kohr says in the lawsuit the lid popped off a cup of coffee he ordered at a Raleigh Starbucks and the cup collapsed. Kohr claims the incident caused such severe stress it activated his Crohn's disease which resulted in surgery to remove part of his intestine. The lawsuit also claims Kohr's wife, Melanie, lost a "source of emotional support, her social companion and her intimate partner."
The Starbucks barista who prepared the drink and the company that made the cup were initially named in the suit but have since been dropped, the station reported.
Starbucks attorneys said that the company serves about four billion cups a year made by International Paper and that there have been only 59 similar incidents.
Jury selection in the case is underway.
In 2010, a customer who allegedly suffered second-degree burns sued Starbucks, claiming a cup of tea was served "unreasonably hot, in containers which were not safe" at a Manhattan location.