Starbucks Beats Appeal in Coffee Burn Suit

Starbucks Corp. beat back an appeal by a woman who alleged she was severely burned by hot coffee that spilled onto her legs when the lid separated from the cup.

Bettye Erchul, a passenger, got a large coffee from a Starbucks drive through. When she first picked up the cup, coffee came out between the lid and the cup, spilling onto her lap.

Erchul said she was “shocked” and either dropped the entire cup of coffee onto her lap or crushed the cup in her hand, causing the rest to spill onto her thighs. The spill caused severe burns on ...