Starbucks Class Action Says NYC Customers Exposed to Pesticides

A class action lawsuit claims that Starbucks exposes New York City patrons to dangerous pesticides used to mitigate “filthy” conditions.

Plaintiffs Christopher George, Jessica Chandra, Lisa Jame, Chelsea Maley, April Boddie, and others say they purchased drinks at multiple Manhattan Starbucks locations.

Allegedly, they spent time in the Starbucks locations while the staff used a toxic pesticide that should not be used around humans.

The Starbucks class action claims that Manhattan Starbucks locations have “disgusting conditions” and these conditions pose a health hazard to people.

Allegedly, these conditions are largely out of sight of customers, “such as under sinks, behind cabinets and in the food preparation area.” The customers argue that Starbucks and its staff have not taken the initiative to truly handle and fix the problem.

They claim that there is a pest problem resulting from the dirty conditions, and instead of fixing the dirty conditions, they say that Starbucks just places a pesticide in their Manhattan locations.

The Starbucks class action states that the pesticide used is Hot Shot No-Pest Strips, produced by Spectrum Brand Holdings.

The customers claim that these strips emit a harmful chemical called Dichlorvos (DDVP). Allegedly, these strips should not be used around humans, and instructions for use of the strips say as much.

The Starbucks class action states that the products are highly poisonous and completely unfit for use in proximity to food, beverages, and people.” However, the customers say that at Starbucks, they are regularly used around people and around regular food preparation that takes place at Starbucks.

According to George and the other customers who filed the Starbucks pesticide class action lawsuit, the reality of the filthy conditions in some of the locations is a stark contrast to Starbucks’ representation of its business.

Allegedly, Starbucks touts the “Starbucks experience” as a large part of the appeal of their products. The “Starbucks experience” is reportedly the idea that a visit to Starbucks is superior to a visit to another coffee shop, and the quality of the location and the products are higher than that of other coffee shops.

The Starbucks customers claim that the coffee giant is knowingly putting their consumers in harm’s way, and misrepresenting their locations as sanitary and attractive in an attempt to boost sales.

The customers say that had they known that they would be exposed to harmful chemicals during their visit to a Manhattan Starbucks, they would not have visited at all, or would not have made the purchases that they did there. Allegedly, they and many other people who visited locations where DDVP was present were injured by Starbucks’ conduct.

The customers are represented by Douglas H. Wigdor, David E. Gottlieb, and Renan F. Varghese of Wigdor LLP.

The Starbucks Pesticides Class Action Lawsuit is Christopher George, et al. v. Starbucks Corporation, Case No. unassigned, in the New York State Supreme Court for New York County.

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