A Brampton teenager who alleges that a Starbucks employee negligently poured scalding hot water on her hands, causing severe and permanent injuries, can proceed with her lawsuit against the U.S.-based coffee giant, the store manager and barista, Ontario’s top court has ruled.Abigail Sataur, with her father acting as her litigation guardian, is suing Starbucks Coffee Canada Inc., a Brampton store manager and the barista for negligence over an alleged incident that took place on March 14, 2015.Sataur was in the Starbucks outlet at 52 Quarry Edge Dr. in Brampton when she asked the barista to fill a baby bottle with warm water, according to the statement of claim filed in Superior Court of Justice. The barista is identified as Jane Doe.“Jane Doe filled the bottle with scalding hot water and spilled the water on Abigail’s hands, causing severe and permanent injuries to Abigail,” the statement says. Abigail was 14 at the time and was filling the bottle for her niece.Starbucks and its employees “failed to take reasonable or any care at all to ensure that the Plaintiff, Abigail Sataur, would be reasonably safe while attending Starbucks,” and to “prevent an injury . . . which they knew or ought to have known.”The statement goes on to say Starbucks employed “incompetent servants or agents and/or staff to ensure the safety of Abigail,” and failed to “instruct properly . . . their employees in proper methods and procedures to be used to regulate water temperatures and handle hot beverages.”The allegations have not been proven in court and Starbucks has not delivered a statement of defence, but “we are fully prepared to address the claims in that case as we believe our partners (employees) are not at fault,” a spokesperson wrote in email to the Star. The teen, now 16, is seeking $1 million in general and special damages and legal costs. According to the statement of claim, the injuries t ...
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