Starbucks sued by customer for allegedly being served with toxic chemical

Starbucks has been sued by a customer who claimed that the drink he ordered from the store was filled with a toxic chemical. He said he was "poisoned" by a cleaning solution in his cup of coffee.

Fox Business reported that based on court documents, the plaintiff has been identified as Matthew Mitchell. In his narration, he said he bought a hot black coffee at Starbuck's Greenwich, Connecticut branch in August last year, but he was instead served with a drink containing Urnex Urn & Brewer Cleaner cleaning solution.

Mitchell filed the lawsuit against Starbucks coffee company on Tuesday this week in Connecticut District Court. He is seeking punitive damages in excess of $75,000 for the alleged "horrible experience" he went through after visiting the coffee chain's Greenwich store last summer.

The man said he drank the coffee and swallowed the liquid that he thought was coffee but after ingesting it, he allegedly felt a burning sensation in his mouth, throat, and stomach. He added that he became incredibly ill and had been coughing nonstop which resulted in breathing problems. In his court filing, Mitchell added he suffered from severe dizziness and nausea.

The plaintiff said after the incident, he informed the Starbucks management about his experience. He claimed to have been told that it happened because a new staff did not know that the coffee brewer was filled with toxic chemicals.

In the court documents, the manager of the Starbucks branch involved admitted that they have only placed an empty upside-down cup on the machine to warn employees it contained such toxin. However, the company argued that its baristas take great care when preparing the beverages, and they take customers' and employees' safety very seriously.

"We have extensive processes and protocols in place to maintain a safe experience for our baristas and customers," Starbucks told Fox Business. "It is an obligation we take very seriously, and we intend to vigorously defend against any claims that state otherwise."

Meanwhile, the New York Post reported that this is actually the second time that Starbucks allegedly served the cleaning solution to a customer. In Mitchell's lawsuit, his party claimed there are at least two other customers who had the same experience of being "poisoned" with Urnex, and the most recent before Mitchell happened in 2015.

"Starbucks was on prior notice of such poisonings at its stores but did nothing to prevent it," Mitchell's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told the New York Post. "This multi-billion dollar company clearly chose to cut costs instead of implementing appropriate safety measures to prevent such incidents. That is the most disturbing and egregious part of this case."