N.C. police officer burned by free coffee sues Starbucks

RALEIGH, N.C. — A Raleigh police officer who got a free cup of Starbucks coffee is suing the company for $50,000 after he spilled it and got burned.

WRAL-TV reports attorneys said in court Monday that Matthew Kohr should be compensated for burns, blisters and emotional damage caused after the officer spilled a cup of coffee in his lap in 2012.

Kohr says in the lawsuit the lid popped off a cup of coffee he ordered at a Raleigh Starbucks and the cup collapsed. Kohr claims the incident caused such severe stress it activated his Crohn’s disease which resulted in surgery to remove part of his intestine. The lawsuit also claims Kohr’s wife, Melanie, lost a “source of emotional support, her social companion and her intimate partner.”

Jury selection in the case is underway.