Lately, people with nothing better to do have decided to fill their time with frivolous lawsuits. One such example involves a woman in Illinois who we told you about a few months ago, who sued Starbucks for $5 million because her drink had an intolerable amount of ice. While the outcome of that case remains to be seen, a similar case in California was dismissed this week because at least one judge in this country understands volume displacement.
CNBC reported that a California judge dismissed the case because Starbucks consumers should understand a drink with the word “iced” in it, invariably comes with, well… ice in it. (Unless you’re using ’90s Oakland hip hop slang to mean that you want your latte killed.) Percy Anderson, the U.S. District Judge wrote, “If children have figured out that including ice in a cold beverage decreases the amount of liquid they will receive, the Court has no difficulty concluding that a reasonable consumer would not be deceived into thinking that when they order an iced tea, that the drink they receive will include both ice and tea and that for a given size cup, some portion of the drink will be ice rather than whatever liquid beverage the consumer ordered.”
Amen, Judge Anderson.
The judge also pointed out there is little deception to Starbucks’ marketing. The company’s cups are clear so each drink’s contents are plain to see. Additionally, Starbucks’ menu doesn’t explicitly state in ounces the amount of liquid in each beverage, it simply states the size of the cup. Realistically, this shouldn’t require an explanation. Iced coffee and iced tea require ice. If a customer is unhappy with their drink and wants less ice, Starbucks encourages them to ask for another drink that’s made to their liking. They do not, however, ask that you sue them for $5 million.
While we’re relieved to see that someone’s hard-earned law degree was used to dismiss the absurdity of this case, we’re also disappointed that someone else’s hard-earned law degree was used as a platform for this absurdity in the first place. It’s time to think before we sue, ladies and worms.
(Via CNBC)
