Latest McDonald’s $1M+ Lawsuit Alleges Worker Threw Drink at Patron in Drive-Thru Window

McDonald’s is facing yet another lawsuit. This time, a popular fast-food restaurant patron alleges that a worker threw a drink at him when he went to the drive-thru window to pick up his order. The plaintiff is seeking more than $1 million in damages. Let’s look at what we know.

McDonald’s Lawsuit Filed in San Diego

According to the San Antonio Express-News, in a newly filed lawsuit, Bruce Martin claims that on Nov. 3, 2023, a female employee of the McDonald’s located at 102 S. W.W. White Road “threw a beverage at him as he pulled up to the drive-through window to receive his food order.” According to Martin, the McDonald’s employee allegedly planned to strike a different customer with whom she was upset.

“The large full beverage struck plaintiff (sic) hand violently causing injuries,” his complaint says. “The liquid soda spilled over Plaintiff’s body and the interior of his vehicle.”

The lawsuit claims that Martin told the store management about the event before he sought medical help, but it doesn’t specify what kind of “bodily injuries” he had. His attorneys, Jason C. Spencer, Travis R. Anderson, and Erin Anderson Spencer, did not answer a phone call or email.

Martin claims he had never met the employee or the other customer in his case, which was submitted to the San Antonio state district court last month. The complaint does not name the employee.

Martin accuses the defendants of displaying “negligent, careless, and reckless disregard.” Martin claims that in addition to his hand injuries, he has had “anxiety, pain, and illness.” He is requesting more than $1 million in damages for medical costs, physical pain, and suffering, emotional distress, physical impairment, disfigurement, lost wages from the past and future, fear of contracting an illness or condition in the future, and the cost of medical monitoring and prevention. He also requests that he be granted punitive damages.

A representative for McDonald’s Corp. did not reply when the San Antonio Express-News emailed them a copy of the complaint. Ned Stagg — the owner of defendants Stagg Restaurants LLC and Stagg Enterprises LLC, and a franchisee — did not answer calls for comment. According to its Facebook page, Stagg owns and runs 31 restaurants in the San Antonio region.

Orange Juice Class Action Lawsuit

This isn’t the only lawsuit that McDonald’s is defending itself against. As was previously reported by RetailWire, the fast-food giant is the subject of a class action lawsuit involving a so-called “orange juice surcharge.”

According to clients of a Santa Monica, California, law firm, the fast-food chain deceptively advertises its breakfast combos with images of orange juice at a set price, but then charges customers more for the juice. The plaintiffs contend that by adding a “hidden” surcharge, this approach violates consumer protection rules and causes customers to incur unanticipated costs.

In order to make McDonald’s responsible for its pricing and advertising strategies, the lawsuit seeks damages for affected consumers as well as changes to the way the business presents its morning menu.

Customers are supposedly only informed of the additional expenses after they have made their payment and obtained their receipts.

According to the lawsuit, McDonald’s uses misleading advertising to lead customers to believe that orange juice is included in the advertised price. One of the plaintiffs, Amber Meyers, asserts that she had been eating her usual breakfast combination, which consists of a Two Sausage Egg McMuffin meal with orange juice, for nearly a year without realizing that the drink was being overcharged.

“If I knew there was a surcharge for the orange juice, I wouldn’t have ordered it every time,” Meyers stated in the complaint.