A judge has denied for now a request for internal information from Starbucks Corp. sought by a woman who alleges that she suffered serious burns from a spilled hot drink bought at one of the coffee shop’s stores in University Park, saying the plaintiff did not adequately try and resolve the issues first through negotiation.
Sala Lily Shabdiz, then a 21-year-old USC student, contends that she suffered a “severe and permanently injuring burn” from the beverage she bought at the Starbucks store in the 2700 block of South Figueroa Street on Feb. 23, 2022.
On Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard S. Kemalyan said he was not granting Shabdiz’s bid for Starbucks’ “knowledge of and response to complaints of injuries arising from hot-beverages, including the identification of responsible executives, memoranda, studies and meetings regarding the subject,” as well as corrective measures taken.
“Plaintiff did not adequately meet-and-confer before bringing the present motions,” the judge wrote.
In a letter, Starbucks invited further conference concerning limits on the scope of discovery, but the plaintiff did not respond and instead filed her motion, according to the judge.
In her lawsuit brought in November 2023, Shabdiz contends she suffered severe thigh burns after the lid of the 16-ounce cup of jade citrus mint tea heated to more than 200 degrees fell off and the liquid spilled onto her legs after she returned to her home, which was minutes away from the Starbucks store. Shabdiz contends the lid came off due to the way the drive-through employee handed the cup to her.
Both Shabdiz and a friend went to the store after ordering online, the suit states.
“Neither plaintiff nor her friend ordered their beverages extra hot,” the suit states.
The cashier handed Shabdiz two separate cups and held the cup that eventually spilled from the sides, leaving the plaintiff no room to securely take hold of the beverage in the sleeve area of the cup traditionally intended for hands to be placed, according to the suit.
Although the first cup given to Shabdiz — which she then handed to her friend — was double-cupped, the plaintiff’s tea had only a sleeve, the suit states.
When Shabdiz got home and lifted her tea out of the car cup holder, the cup bent because of the hot temperature of the liquid, causing the lid to come off and the hot contents then spilled onto her leggings, which stuck to and burned her thighs, the suit states.
In March 2025, a Los Angeles jury awarded Postmates driver Michael Garcia $50 million for burns suffered from a spilled drink at a Starbucks bought at a drive-through at a store in Jefferson Park.