Posted on 08/01/2015 1:35:27 PM PDT by Jyotishi
The woman now suffers from Burning Mouth Syndrome, loss of taste, numbness in lips and tongue and oral nerve damage, a lawsuit said.
Los Angeles - A US woman has sued famous coffee company Starbucks for more than US $2 million, claiming that she was served coffee which contained cleaning chemicals.
Cheryl Kingery from western state of Utah said she suffered severe damage to her esophagus after drinking coffee from a Starbucks cafe just north of Salt Lake City. According to a lawsuit, Kingery ingested a Urnex specialty cleaning product for coffee and espresso equipment.
She now suffers from Burning Mouth Syndrome, loss of taste, numbness in lips and tongue and oral nerve damage, it said. Kingery is seeking US $1.5 million to cover medical expenses, lost wages and other costs, besides at least US $500,000 in damages for suffering and distress.
Starbucks is taking the claim seriously and is investigating, said a company spokeswoman. "The safety of our customers is our No.1 priority," the spokeswoman said. This is not the first incident of its kind in the Beehive State. About a year ago a woman suffered third-degree chemical burns in her mouth and throat after drinking ice tea mixed with a powerful cleaning chemical at a famous coffee house.
The woman had settled the case out of court with the American coffee house chain for an undisclosed amount of money.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I won’t try to burn your flame retardant suit. :) I go to starbucks at least twice a week for a tall cup of the pike place.
Starbucks offers a comfy atmosphere and strong sarisfying coffee.
So you’re not the only freeper who likes Starbucks.
I agree with everything you just said.
I LIKE IT!
Defense: What made you think the coffee was poisonous?
Plaintiff: It tasted like poison.
Defense: That’s the way it’s supposed to taste.
Plaintiff: I rest my case.
LOL!
You can make Strong Coffee Weaker but you can never make Weak Coffee Stronger.
Which reminds me. I recall seeing a Get Smart Episode where Maxwell is sitting a Diner Counter talking to another Agent.
While he is talking, he isn't paying attention and is pouring heaping spoonfuls of Sugar into his Coffee Cup.
After he done talking, he takes a big Sip from the Cup, scrunches his face up and says, Yuck, I hate Luke Warm Coffee.
Wish I could find that scene. I think Mel Brooks wrote it.
The way to solve problems like this is increase the minimum wage to a “living wage”. Everyone knows that automatically makes fast food workers smarter, more responsible, more conscientious and more caring.
Go back, it's a trap, there are two of those bastards.
Absolutely.
That was a great show. I didn’t know that Mel Brooks was a writer for Get Smart, but it doesn’t surprise me.
Wow! Not only were you right, but...
*****************************************
Get Smart was an American comedy television series that satirized the secret agent genre.
Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry,[1] the show starred Don Adams (as Maxwell Smart, Agent 86), Barbara Feldon (as Agent 99), and Edward Platt (as Chief). Henry said they created the show by request of Daniel Melnick, who was a partner, along with Leonard Stern and David Susskind, of the show’s production company, Talent Associates, to capitalize on “the two biggest things in the entertainment world today”—James Bond and Inspector Clouseau.[2] Brooks said: “It’s an insane combination of James Bond and Mel Brooks comedy.”[3]
Source: Wikipedia
Thanks you. I appreciate it.
“According to a lawsuit, Kingery ingested a Urnex specialty cleaning product for coffee and espresso equipment”
http://www.urnexbrand.com/resources/msds.aspx
certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that some brain-dead starbux employee failed to clean out the cleaner. failure to complete the backflush cleaning of semi-auto/auto espresso makers particularly comes to mind.
“That may sound silly to most people, but after almost being poisoned once at a restaurant many years ago, I’m cautious.”
Silly? More like prudent. Once bitten, after all...
My husband and I went to a nice restaurant for dinner back in the 80s. We ordered and were served a mixed drink, and with the first sip I told him to stop. We both identified the drink as being made with something that smelled like rubbing alcohol.
We sent the drinks back. Since then, I have been careful.
Gross. Glad you guys weren’t hurt.
Thank you. I’m a firm believer in gut instinct. :)
Same here.
:)
· Acute toxicity:
· LD/LC50 values relevant for classification:
497-19-8 sodium carbonate
Oral LD50 4090 mg/kg (Rat)
1344-09-8 Silicic acid, sodium salt
Oral LD50 > 2000 mg/kg (Rat)
15630-89-4 disodium carbonate, compound with hydrogenperoxide (2:3)
It took me less than a minute to find the MSDS and post the info.
I’d have responded earlier, but I had to help my neighbour find his wedding band in his garden. I actually used my metal detector for the first time in 2 1/2 years! Woo-hoo!
I don't care for Starbucks products, and detest their corporate political policies, but I've been known to buy a few gift cards, or overpriced drinks from them for others.
That said, most of the under 25 crowd I know “hang out” or meet up there for social visits.
It sure beats them hanging out in the bars, IMHO.
The few times I've gone there to buy something for someone else, the employees have all been polite and capable. Most appear to be local high school or college aged students.
I'm sorry this woman was injured, and I do think her injuries merit a lawsuit, and she deserves compensation.
It's unusual that it happened at a Starbucks, but all it ever takes is just one careless act ...
To me, McDonald’s coffee is okay. A small cup of black coffee. I can make it last for hours just sipping. It’s really hot & stays hot a long time. - At home, I now fix myself a cup of organic regular instant coffee. - I’ve had my days of hand grinding coffee beans and the messy business with the coffee maker is now beyond my stamina to fool with it.
When Don Adams was an old Guy, he tried to hit on my 21 Year Old Girlfriend at a Club.
She was thrilled and mortified at the same time.
To this day I cannot find that Diner scene anywhere on the Internet, but to quote John Kerry, it is seared into my Memory. Or, I’m just as crazy as Joe Biden.
I hope someone here recalls it as well. I know many of us watched Get Smart religiously. Still can’t figure out why they traded Maxwell’s Sunbeam Tiger for a Karmen Ghia though.
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