Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.
Burned because of someone else?
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Beverly Law is not affiliated with Starbucks. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou.
A San Antonio woman’s suit, filed in Washington
The one reported Starbucks burn suit with a San Antonio connection in our sources was filed far from Texas. In 2012, MyNorthwest reported that Sturgess, a San Antonio woman, had sued Starbucks in King County, Washington over a venti green tea. The report says the lid came off as she was pulling out of a Starbucks drive-thru in 2009, and that her suit claims the barista failed to secure it. “The lid came off, and she was scalded,” it said; she suffered second-degree burns. A Starbucks spokesman said he was confident the tea was made to industry standards (MyNorthwest). The article does not say where the drive-thru was, and we found no reported outcome.
Starbucks is incorporated in Washington and headquartered in Seattle, according to its annual report (Form 10-K). We found no reported Starbucks burn case filed in Bexar County or set at a San Antonio store in the sources we reviewed. The company-wide list of cases is on our Starbucks burn injury lawyer page.
Sturgess’s drink was tea, and tea or plain hot water is behind several of the reported Starbucks suits, including the $50 million Garcia v. Starbucks verdict in Los Angeles. Starbucks said it would appeal, but the case settled in June 2025 and was dismissed in July 2025; the terms were not made public (LASC case summary). Our page on Starbucks tea and hot water burns covers those cases.
What to keep, and why it matters
| Keep | Why |
|---|---|
| The lid, even if it is cracked or bent | Sturgess and several other reported Starbucks suits involve a lid that came off |
| The cup, with any sleeve or second cup | Shows the size of the drink and how it was packed |
| The tray or carrier, if you had more than one drink | In Garcia, his lawyer said one of three drinks was not fully pushed into the carrier (ABC7) |
| The app order or receipt | Names the store, drink and time, which is how footage is found |
| Ambulance and hospital paperwork | A civilian treated at the Army Burn Center has records held by a military hospital, so we request them early |
| A written request for the store video | Store video was key evidence in Garcia (Courthouse News); footage can be recorded over |
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Burn care in San Antonio: the Army Burn Center
San Antonio’s ABA-verified burn center is run by the U.S. Army. The U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center sits at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, and the ABA lists it as verified (USAISR). The Army says it accepts civilian as well as military patients, and that in the Bexar County area ambulances normally take patients with major burns there (USAISR patient information). Brooke Army Medical Center says it cares for more than 6,000 military and civilian trauma patients a year, 750 of them burn patients.
A hot drink that soaks through clothing can reach the burns the American Burn Association says belong at a burn center: any full-thickness burn, partial-thickness burns of 10 percent or more of the body, and deep burns of the hands, genitals, perineum or skin over a joint (ABA referral criteria).
| Hospital | ABA status |
|---|---|
| USAISR Army Burn Center / Brooke Army Medical Center, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston | ABA-verified |
| University Hospital (University Health) | Listed by the ABA as another burn center (not ABA-verified) |
| Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital burn program | Listed by the ABA as another burn center (not ABA-verified) |
Source: ABA directory.
Bexar County courts
A San Antonio burn suit in state court goes to the Bexar County district courts downtown. The county directory lists most of those courts at 100 Dolorosa or 300 Dolorosa, with the Chief Trial Assignment Clerk at 100 Dolorosa (Bexar County). Our San Antonio burn injury lawyer page has the local hospitals and fire data.
Texas deadlines by situation
| Situation | What Texas requires | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Burn at any Starbucks run by Starbucks or a licensee | Lawsuit within two years | CPRC § 16.003 |
| Counter on public property, such as an airport or a public university campus, where a governmental unit may share responsibility | Notice to the governmental unit within six months after the incident (a city’s charter may require its own notice period) | § 101.101 |
| The injured person is under 18 | Time before age 18 is not counted | § 16.001 |
| The jury puts more than half the fault on you | No recovery | § 33.001 |
San Antonio Starbucks burn questions
Is there a reported Starbucks burn case from San Antonio?
The only one in our sources is Sturgess, a San Antonio woman who sued in King County, Washington in 2012 over a 2009 green tea burn. We found no reported outcome and no Bexar County filing.
Sturgess sued in Washington. Should I?
That is a strategy decision with trade-offs. Starbucks is based in Seattle, but where a case can be brought, and which state’s deadline applies, depends on the facts. We plan San Antonio cases around the Texas two-year deadline.
Will the Army Burn Center treat me if I am not in the military?
Yes. The Army says its Burn Center accepts civilians, and ambulances in the Bexar County area normally take major burns there.
My drink was tea, not coffee. Does that change anything?
Not the deadline. Tea and hot water have been the drinks in several reported Starbucks burn suits, and the evidence is the same: keep the cup, lid and receipt.
Call about a San Antonio Starbucks burn
If a Starbucks drink burned you or your child anywhere in Bexar County, call Beverly Law at (310) 552-6959 to talk it through at no charge, in English or Spanish. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
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Burn injury lawyer — Beverly Law
If you or your child was burned because of someone else in California, Texas and Washington, talk to a burn injury attorney. Free, confidential, English or Spanish. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Related pages
Sources
- MyNorthwest, Sturgess suit in King County, Washington (venti green tea, 2009 drive-thru, lid not secured alleged, second (mynorthwest.com)
- Starbucks Corporation Form 10-K, fiscal year ended Sept. 28, 2025 (Washington incorporation, Seattle headquarters) (sec.gov)
- CNN via ABC7 Los Angeles, Garcia: one of three drinks not fully pushed into the container (March 15, 2025) (abc7.com)
- Courthouse News, Garcia post-trial ruling, store video as key evidence (June 4, 2025) (courthousenews.com)
- AP via Claims Journal, Garcia $50 million verdict, Starbucks planned to appeal (March 17, 2025) (amp.claimsjournal.com)
- American Burn Association, burn center referral criteria (ameriburn.org)
- USAISR, Burn Center ABA verification (usaisr.health.mil)
- USAISR, Burn Center patient information (civilian patients, Bexar County ambulance practice) (usaisr.health.mil)
- Brooke Army Medical Center, more than 6,000 trauma patients a year including 750 burn patients (Dec. 17, 2025) (bamc.tricare.mil)
- American Burn Association, Find a Burn Center (ameriburn.org)
- Bexar County District Courts directory (bexar.org)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Los Angeles Superior Court, case summary for Garcia v. Starbucks, No. 20STCV10214 (post-trial motions denied June 4, 202 (cap.lacourt.ca.gov)
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.