Starbucks Must Keep Defending Venti Espresso Caffeine-Cheat Suit

Starbucks Corp. can’t exit a proposed class suit alleging it cheats on the espresso and caffeine content in the largest sizes of some popular hot drinks, a federal court in California said.

Teresa Adams compared the caffeine in “tall” (12 oz.), “grande” (16 oz.), and “venti” (20 oz.) drinks. The grande drinks have twice the caffeine as the tall, so it follows that the venti should have triple the caffeine, Adams said.

Yet, the venti has the same amount of caffeine as the grande, and consumers are paying more money for four additional ounces of milk, her suit said. Adams ...