Starbucks Class Actions Challenge Labeling on Doubleshot Espresso

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Two class action plaintiffs accuse Starbucks of mislabeling its Doubleshot Espresso drinks to trick consumers into thinking they actually contain two shots of espresso.

The accusation is at the core of two separate Starbucks class action lawsuits filed on the same day in New York and California federal courts.

Plaintiffs Thomas Wessel of New York and Oliver Naimi of California both say the labeling on Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso canned coffee drinks is false and misleading in a way that violates those states’ respective consumer protection laws.

Naimi says he has bought several varieties of Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso products at different locations in California between 2015 and 2017. Wessel says he made similar purchases in New York between 2016 and 2017.

Introduced in 2002, Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso products are pre-made coffee-based drinks packaged in 6.5-ounce cans. Cans are sold individually and in packs of four. Flavor varieties include Espresso & Cream, Espresso & Cream Light, Cubano, and Espresso & Salted Caramel Cream.

Plaintiffs say the labeling on these products doesn’t stand up to the product information available on Starbucks’ corporate website. Product data available there shows a double shot, or “doppio,” of Starbucks espresso contains 150 milligrams of caffeine.

However, the caffeine in Doubleshot Espresso drinks adds up to less than that, according to the plaintiffs. Drinks in the Doubleshot Espresso line contain 70 to 110 milligrams of caffeine – less than they would have if they actually contained two shots of espresso each.

Naimi and Wessel both say they purchased Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso drinks in reasonable reliance on their labeling, which led them to understand the drinks contained two shots of Starbucks espresso.

The say they would not have bought these products or would have been willing to pay significantly less for them if they had known they don’t actually contain the espresso that the labeling advertises. Because of the alleged mislabeling, Doubleshot Espresso products are not worth as much as the plaintiffs have been paying for them, according to this Starbucks class action lawsuit.

Wessel seeks to represent a nationwide Class consisting of all persons in the U.S. who purchased any of the products at issue here within the relevant statutory limitations period.

Naimi’s proposed Class would represent California residents who purchased any of the products and other persons, regardless of residency, who purchased any of the products in California. He also proposes a subclass to represent Class Members who bought the products for personal, family, or household purposes.

Both plaintiffs are seeking an award of damages, restitution, injunctive relief, court costs and attorneys’ fees, plus interest on all amounts awarded.

The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys from Faruqi & Faruqi LLP. Wessel is represented by Innessa Melamed Huot, and Naimi is represented by Benjamin Heikali.

The Starbucks Mislabeled Doubleshot Espresso Class Action Lawsuits are Naimi v. Starbucks Corp., et al., Case No. 2:17-cv-06484, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and Wessel v. Starbucks Corp., et al., Case No. 7:17-cv-06703, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.