A California resident has filed a lawsuit against a major coffee chain, alleging severe physical and emotional distress after consuming a contaminated beverage. On July 19, 2024, Selena Cardenas Pedraza filed the complaint in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, accusing Starbucks Corporation of multiple counts including strict liability, breach of warranty, negligence, and negligence per se.
According to the court documents, Pedraza claims that on July 20, 2022, she visited a Starbucks location at 1106 Cornwell St., Los Angeles. While drinking a Vanilla Bean Cream Frappuccino at approximately 8:30 pm, she felt something unusual in her mouth and partially ingested what turned out to be a cockroach blended into her beverage. This incident allegedly caused her immediate nausea and dizziness followed by severe physical illness. Pedraza asserts that this traumatic experience resulted in not only physical injuries but also permanent and severe emotional distress.
The plaintiff's attorney argues that Starbucks Corporation failed in its duty to ensure the safety and cleanliness of its food products. The complaint states that "Defendants owed a duty of care to the Plaintiff to design, prepare, manufacture, and/or sell food that was not adulterated," emphasizing that Starbucks breached this duty by allowing a cockroach to contaminate the beverage. Furthermore, Pedraza alleges that Starbucks violated express and implied warranties by selling an adulterated product unfit for human consumption.
Pedraza's legal team is seeking various forms of relief from the court. They are asking for general damages for pain and suffering as well as special damages covering medical expenses incurred due to the incident. Additionally, they seek compensation for loss of earnings both present and future along with property damage costs. The lawsuit also demands coverage for all litigation-related expenses.
Representing Pedraza are attorneys Sharona Eslamboly Hakim and Geoffrey Kasler from the Law Offices of Sharona Eslamboly Hakim. The case is being overseen by Judge David W. Slayton under Case No.: 2457Tor18118.