The Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District recently upheld a decision absolving both Starbucks and a property owner from liability in a negligence lawsuit following a vehicle crash at a St. Louis Starbucks location. The court ruled that neither the defendants could have reasonably foreseen the event, given that the previous similar incident occurred a decade prior. The plaintiffs argued that the premises configuration was hazardous, referencing an earlier car crash into the same coffee shop.
The court’s stance emphasized that the defendants had no duty to prevent the plaintiffs from third-party negligence, as such negligence was unforeseeable in this context. Assigning a duty of care under these circumstances, the court noted, would conflict with public policy. For further details, see the complete ruling and analysis.