STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A Staten Island man is suing McDonald’s, claiming he was “seriously” and “permanently” injured by hot coffee.
The plaintiff, Andrew Scibelli, 63, says he continues to incur medical expenses since the March 12, 2023, incident, which occurred at the Grant City location at 2154 Hylan Blvd., the lawsuit alleges.
The civil complaint was filed Wednesday in state Supreme Court, St. George, court records show.
Scibelli — an Ocean Breeze resident who lives two miles from the restaurant — ordered the beverage at the drive-thru window, the complaint continued.
According to Manhattan-based injury attorney Leigh Eskenasi, it was the restaurant’s “negligence” and “carelessness” that caused the plaintiff to be “incapacitated” by his injuries.
A lawsuit filed recently on Staten Island claims a customer at the McDonald’s in Grant City was “seriously” and “permanently” injured by a coffee that was served too hot. Second-, third-degree burns, attorney claims
It was about 9:30 a.m. on the date of the incident, when Scibelli ordered food and “multiple coffees,” his attorney said Friday in an interview with the Advance/SILive.com
When a worker handed the tray of coffees over to him, “none of the lids were secured, and they all spilled,” said Eskenasi. “They spilled all over his chest, abdomen and groin.”
The plaintiff drove home, at which point his wife took him to Northwell Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze. He suffered second- and third-degree burns as a result of the incident, Eskenasi said.
The defendants listed in the complaint include McDonald’s Corporation and Lisa’s Food Enterprises. The latter is a Staten Island-based business that owns several McDonald’s franchise restaurants in the tri-state area, according to its website.
Neither company responded Friday to a request for comment.
Similar cases over the years
Lawsuits filed over restaurants’ coffee temperatures are not uncommon.
There was a famous case in 1994 in which a 79-year-old woman incurred third-degree burns on her legs and genitals from spilt coffee. The woman ultimately was awarded damages in the case, as it was determined the restaurant was serving coffee at unsafe temperatures.
There have been similar lawsuits filed on Staten Island as well.
In 2016, an arbitrator awarded $52,500 to a Staten Island woman who was scalded by a hot cup of coffee at a Wendy’s in Dongan Hills.
In 2020, a lawsuit alleged that a child was injured by coffee that spilled from a defective container at a local Dunkin’ Donuts.