Starbucks Coffee Sued By Woman Who Claims Her Tea Was So Hot It Killed Her Dog

Starbucks Coffee Corporation is being sued by a Denver woman who claims that it killed her dog.

According to a report first covered by Fox’s Denver affiliate, 58-year-old Deanna Salas-Solano is suing the giant corporation for causing the wrongful death of her dog and causing second-degree burns on her body. The lawsuit filed by her attorney states that Solano went to grab a tea at a Starbucks drive-thru in September, 2015, and was served a 20-ounce tea so hot that she could not keep it in her hands. Moreover, the Denver woman claims that the staff at Starbucks Coffee did not secure the lid properly which led to the hot tea being spilled over her body and her dog, killing him in the process.

The lawsuit was filed in Denver District Federal Court last Friday and sees Solano sue Starbucks, asking that the corporation pay her $100,000 in damages for killing her dog.

“Once Plaintiff received the cup of tea into her hands, the hot temperature of the cup began to burn her hands. Hot tea began to spill out of the cup through the unsecured lid and onto Plaintiff’s body.”

Photos of the second-degree burns that Solano received have been shared on social media and can be viewed by clicking here.

Deanna Salas-Solano pictures,sues Starbucks claiming they killed her dog https://t.co/ysEt4mBsGG pic.twitter.com/q15ORfveuM

— infowe (@infowe) September 14, 2017

The lawsuit goes on to claim that while Solano was “writhing and moaning” in pain, her dog jumped on her lap leading to the tea being spilled onto him. The dog received “severe burns,” the lawsuit claims, and although he was taken to a hospital soon, the severity of the burns meant that Solano’s dog could not make it. The Denver woman herself needed skin grafts to recover from the burns.

However, Starbucks Coffee immediately projected a conflicting narrative of the event, arguing that they have video evidence to prove that Solano’s allegations are without merit.

“We have video evidence that clearly contradicts the claims made by the plaintiff and believe they are without merit. We look forward to presenting our case in court. While we are sympathetic to Ms. Salas-Solano and the injuries she sustained, we don’t have any reason to believe our partner (employee) was at fault.”

Fox 31 attempted to verify the video but argued that while Starbucks Coffee does have a case in point, it is difficult to make a conclusive report.

The report points out that Solano was using her cellphone when she received the tea at Starbucks and also conflicts her argument that the lid was not secure. However, it adds that the tea did not have a hot sleeve, but whether or not the tea was spilled because of the lid or Solano’s distraction with her phone is something which is hard to pinpoint.

At this point, it appears that both Solano and Starbucks Coffee have all their cards on the table. But no matter who the court finally favors, it appears apparent that the dog died because the tea was excessively hot.

[Featured Image by JohnFScott/iStockPhoto]