Philadelphia man sues Starbucks, cup company for coffee burns

A Philadelphia man says a defective cup given to him by a Starbucks employee resulted in a coffee spill that gave him severe burns, according to a lawsuit filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

Matthew Downing, of the 4900 block of Pine Street in Philadelphia, has filed a personal injury suit against the Starbucks located at the Allentown Service Plaza on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Solo Cup, the manufacturer and supplier of Starbucks' coffee cups for injuries in excess of $50,000.

According to the complaint, Downing purchased a cup of coffee from the Starbucks on March 23, 2012. Moments later, the rim of the cup collapsed, causing the lid to pop off and extremely hot coffee to spill on Downing's right hand.

The lawsuit says that Starbucks and Solo Cup's alleged negligence resulted in permanent scarring on Downing's hand and loss of strength and motion in his wrist and arm. Downing says he may experience pain, mental anguish humiliation and loss of income as a result of the injuries. He says that Starbucks and Solo Cup had a responsibility to ensure that any defective cups were removed from the inventory to prevent their usage by customers.

Downing is represented by Delaware attorney Philip Finestrauss.

The case ID number is 140303657.