Can I sue over a burn from a hot drink?

Potentially, as a product or premises claim. It turns on whether the beverage was served at a temperature beyond what is reasonable and what warnings were given, and on the specific circumstances.

Is arbitration required?

Employment agreements frequently contain arbitration clauses. Consumer purchases in store generally do not, though app and loyalty terms may.

Filing a Lawsuit Against Starbucks: What Route Applies

As a Customer

Labelling and pricing complaints are consumer protection claims, usually only viable in aggregate because individual loss is small. Injury from a product, such as a burn, is a separate personal injury claim with its own standards.

As an Employee

Wage and hour, scheduling, discrimination and retaliation claims each have their own deadlines, and discrimination claims generally require an administrative charge before suit.

As a Visitor Injured on the Premises

A premises liability claim requires showing the operator knew or should have known of a hazard and failed to address it. Incident reports and photographs taken at the time are usually decisive.

Where This Fits

This page covers one part of a wider set of claims. For the full picture see Starbucks Lawsuit: The Claims and What They Cover, which sets out how the different claims relate to each other and who each one covers.

Before You Act

Thinking About Filing a Claim?