It was only a matter of time.
A Houston lawyer is suing both Starbucks and the barista that served her coffee that was reportedly so hot that it caused numerous injuries.
On July 13, 2014, Katherine Mize was purchasing coffee for herself and her coworkers at the drive-thru of the Starbucks at 445 North Loop West in Houston. The barista, who has been identified as Brie, was attempting to give Mize a 20-ounce cup of coffee when she allegedly squeezed the cup, which made the top come off.
"It went all down the front of me and on the seat behind me and started burning me immediately," Mize recalled to KPRC. "I got out of the car and then just started hollering."
In the lawsuit, she alleged that no one at Starbucks offered to assist her or file an incident report. A friend ended up taking her to the hospital.
"She was forced to remain on her hands and knees in the back of the truck in order to prevent contact with the seared skin and open wounds," the lawsuit stated.
Mize is suing Starbucks for negligence, not properly training its employees, and is accusing the corporation of heating and serving the coffee at extreme temperatures.
"My skin was falling off me in sheets," Mize said.
According to KPRC, Starbucks would not disclose how hot the restaurant heats the coffee or whether the temperatures are the same across all their locations.
"It was a really serious injury," Mize said. "Like everyone else I kinda laughed at the coffee stories until I heard more about them and realized women got really injured. Then I realized it’s not just, ‘Oh well, I spilled coffee.’ It burned through my skin, there was no skin left."
Brie had only been working at Starbucks for a week prior to the incident. She is being sued for failure to safely handle the hot beverage, negligence for failure to secure the top of the cup, failure to pay attention, and failure to render aid.
"I want people to be able to get whatever they want from Starbucks and never run the risk of injury," Mize said.
"The health and safety of our customers and partners (employees) is always our top priority," Starbucks wrote in a statement. "We are evaluating the customer’s claims and determining the appropriate next steps."