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A Davis County woman alleges she suffered severe damage to her esophagus at the Starbucks in Clinton after drinking coffee that contained a cleaning solution.
A lawsuit filed last week in Utah's 2nd District Court claims Cheryl Kingery ingested Urnex, a specialty cleaning product for coffee and espresso equipment, on a July 25, 2012, visit to Starbucks.
In addition to damage to the esophagus — the tube that delivers food from the mouth to the stomach — the toxic substance Kingery drank has caused Burning Mouth Syndrome; loss of taste; numbness in lips and tongue; and oral nerve ending damage, according to the suit.
The suit, which names the Seattle-based Starbucks Corporation and John Does I-V as defendants, alleges the company was negligent in one or more ways: Employees created a dangerous condition and failed to remedy it; employees knew or should have known of the dangerous condition but failed to take adequate steps to prevent injury to its customers; or the chain failed to adequately train its workers.
"The safety of our customers is our highest priority," Laurel Harper, a Starbucks spokeswoman, said Tuesday. "We take this obligation seriously and are investigating Ms. Kingery's claims."
The incident already has cost Kingery more than $186,000 in medical expenses, wage loss and household expenses, the suit says. It says that based on current medical recommendations, future economic damages are expected to reach nearly $1.4 million.
The suit, filed July 22, is seeking an unspecified amount of money for economic damages, as well as non-economic damages that include pain and suffering and emotional distress.
In an unrelated case, a Utah woman was critically injured last year at a South Jordan Dickey's Barbecue when she drank iced tea that was contaminated with a chemical mixture used as a degreaser. Jan Harding suffered burns to her throat and esophagus from the compound, which apparently was mistaken for sugar by employees. She later reached a confidential settlement with the restaurant chain.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC