Woman sues Starbucks for over US $2 million, claims was served poisonous coffee
She now suffers from Burning Mouth Syndrome, loss of taste, tongue and oral nerve damage
Washington: A US woman has sued famous coffee company Starbucks for more than US $2 million, claiming that she was served coffee which contained cleaning chemicals.
Cheryl Kingery from western state of Utah said she suffered severe damage to her esophagus after drinking coffee from a Starbucks cafe just north of Salt Lake City.
According to a lawsuit, Kingery ingested a Urnex specialty cleaning product for coffee and espresso equipment.
She now suffers from Burning Mouth Syndrome, loss of taste, numbness in lips and tongue and oral nerve damage, it said.
Kingery is seeking US $1.5 million to cover medical expenses, lost wages and other costs, besides at least USD 500,000 in damages for suffering and distress.
Starbucks is taking the claim seriously and is investigating, said a company spokeswoman.
"The safety of our customers is our No.1 priority," the spokeswoman said.
This is not the first incident of its kind in the Beehive State. About a year ago a woman suffered third-degree chemical burns in her mouth and throat after drinking ice tea mixed with a powerful cleaning chemical at a famous coffee house.
The woman had settled the case out of court with the American coffee house chain for an undisclosed amount of money.