Overview
- The plaintiff, 63-year-old Vladimir Podlipskiy, says a cup of hot tea spilled onto his lap, groin and genitals at a San Diego Starbucks in August 2024 and caused catastrophic burns and long-term nerve damage.
- His lawsuit, filed in state court on June 24 and removed to federal court on August 6, alleges a Starbucks employee repeatedly told him to move closer to a wobbly table while the hot drink sat unsecured.
- Starbucks filed an answer on August 6 denying liability and asserting that Podlipskiy may have failed to mitigate his damages by not seeking timely or recommended care.
- Podlipskiy is seeking unspecified general and special damages plus legal fees and costs and the court docket shows the parties must file a joint discovery plan by September 4, 2026.
- The complaint and reporting place the case in a wider pattern of hot-drink litigation, noting the plaintiff’s attorney won a $50 million verdict in a similar Starbucks spill case and invoking past high-profile rulings over scalding injuries.