Customer sues Starbucks claiming he was 'poisoned' by toxic chemical
Customer claimed his Starbucks cup was filled with cleaning solution
FOX Business Flash top headlines for March 23
Here are your FOX Business Flash top headlines for March 23.
A Starbucks customer is suing the Seattle-based company claiming he was "poisoned" by a toxic chemical found in a cup of coffee he ordered.
According to court documents, Matthew Mitchell purchased a hot black coffee at a Greenwich, Connecticut, Starbucks in late August. Instead, Mitchell claims his cup was filled with the cleaning solution Urnex Urn & Brewer Cleaner.
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On Aug. 30, Mitchell claims he was "handed a coffee cup with a lid, which felt from the outside of the cup, to be full of hot coffee," according to the court documents.
He discovered that it wasn't his intended order after taking "a gulp of the purported 'coffee,' which he swallowed," the court documents said.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBUX | STARBUCKS CORP. | 100.06 | +1.80 | +1.83% |
After ingesting the substance, Mitchell claimed he had a "burning sensation in his mouth, throat and stomach." It was also alleged that he "became incredibly ill and was coughing so incessantly that he had problems breathing."
Mitchell further claimed that he suffered "severe dizziness and nausea," according to court documents.
A Starbucks Coffee shop in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File / AP Newsroom)
According to the suit, Mitchell notified management after the incident. He was allegedly informed that the incident occurred because a new employee hadn't realized that the coffee brewer was filled with the chemical.
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The manager also admitted that "the only warning to employees that a brewer contained such toxin was an empty and upside-down cup placed upon it," according to court documents.
"Rather than spending the funds necessary to ensure its coffee machines do not serve poison, Starbucks has emphasized corporate greed over the safety of its customers, a clear case of hypocrisy given its stated corporate mission of investing in the well-being of everyone," Mitchell's attorney, Joe Tacopina, told FOX Business in a statement.
However, Starbucks argued that the company's baristas "take great care in crafting beverages" and that the safety of its customers and employees is taken very seriously.
"We have extensive processes and protocols in place to maintain a safe experience for our baristas and customers," Starbucks said in a statement to FOX Business.
It's an "obligation we take very seriously, and we intend to vigorously defend against any claims that state otherwise," Starbucks continued.