Starbucks Burn Injury Lawyer in Fresno

By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.

Beverly Law is not affiliated with Starbucks.

Has anyone reported a Starbucks burn case in Fresno?

We found none. In the court records and news reports we reviewed, there is no reported Starbucks burn lawsuit or incident from Fresno or anywhere in Fresno County. We also do not know how many Starbucks locations the city has: Starbucks’ annual report for fiscal 2025 counts 10,047 company-operated and 6,813 licensed stores in the United States but breaks out no state or city.

The California cases that did make the news happened elsewhere. Piluyev, burned by tea at a Roseville drive-thru window in 2018, spent 11 days in the UC Davis burn unit with burns to his fingers and pelvic area. Walker sued in Riverside County Superior Court in 2026, saying the lid popped off her coffee at a Wildomar drive-thru. Both are allegations with no reported outcome.

The case most people have heard of is from Los Angeles. In Garcia v. Starbucks, a delivery driver picked up three venti teas at the Exposition Park drive-thru in 2020, and his suit claimed one fell into his lap within 1.4 seconds. A jury awarded $50 million in March 2025, the judge denied Starbucks’ motions for a new trial and to cut the award in June 2025. Starbucks had said it would appeal, but the case settled later that month and was dismissed in July 2025; the terms were not made public (LASC case summary). Our Garcia v. Starbucks page covers the trial.

Who runs the store matters

A Fresno Starbucks may be run by Starbucks itself or by a licensee, and the 10-K says most licensees are prominent retailers. Licensee employees must follow Starbucks’ “detailed store operating procedures,” so a burn at a Starbucks counter inside another business can involve both companies. Ask who operates the location before any claim letter goes out.

Burn care and the courthouse

Community Health System says the Leon S. Peters unit draws patients from a 15,000-square-mile area and calls it the only round-the-clock, full-service burn center between Los Angeles and Sacramento. That matters for a drive-thru spill: in Garcia the tea landed in the driver’s lap, and Piluyev had burns to his pelvic area. The American Burn Association recommends burn center referral for deep partial-thickness or full-thickness burns of the genitals, perineum, hands or joints, even when the burned area is small. More centers are in our burn center directory, and general Fresno burn information is on our Fresno burn injury page.

What to keep after a spill in your car

Most Starbucks burn suits we found started at a drive-thru window, so the evidence is often still in the car.

1. The carrier tray, cup and lid together. If a cup came out of a carrier, the tray shows whether a slot was torn or bent. Put all of it in one bag without rinsing it.
2. The clothes you wore. Leave them unwashed in a paper bag. The stain shows how much liquid hit you and where.
3. Photos of the seat and floor mat before anyone cleans the car.
4. Your app order screen or receipt. A screenshot of the Starbucks app order shows the store, the drink size and the time, which is what a video request needs.
5. A written video request within days. Name the store, the date, the time and whether you were at the window or the pickup counter. In Felder v. MGM National Harbor, a federal court in Maryland held in 2024 that recording over footage on a routine 14-day cycle was not spoliation because notice came after the video was gone.

If the lid itself failed, our page on Starbucks drive-thru lid burns explains claims against the lid maker.

California law for a Fresno Starbucks burn

The six-month rule applies to the government claim only. A claim against the private company running the counter follows the two-year rule. Our main Starbucks burn injury page covers how these cases are proved.

Fresno Starbucks burn questions

Where would a Fresno Starbucks burn lawsuit be filed?

In Fresno County Superior Court. Cases over $35,000 are heard at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse, 1130 O Street.

I was holding the cup when it spilled. Can I still bring a claim?

Possibly. In Garcia, Starbucks argued the driver had physical control of the drinks, and the jury still found Starbucks 100 percent liable on his claim that the cup was not secured in the carrier.

The burn happened at a Starbucks inside another store. Who do I sue?

It depends on who runs that counter. If it is a licensed store, the retailer that operates it and Starbucks may both be part of the claim.

How long do I have?

Two years in most cases. If a public agency is part of the claim, the written claim to that agency is due within six months.

Talk to a lawyer about a Fresno Starbucks burn

If a hot drink from a Starbucks in Fresno, Clovis or elsewhere in the county burned you or your child, call Beverly Law at (310) 552-6959 for a free, confidential review in English or Spanish. The burn injury section starts at our burn injury lawyer page. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.

Related pages

Burn Injury Lawyer

Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 6, 2026.