Woman sues Starbucks over poisonous coffee

Many doctors will tell you to limit your coffee consumption, an impossible request for some, but this recent story out of Utah might make it easier to say no to your next cup of joe.

A Utah woman is suing Starbucks for more than $2 million after she said her coffee had cleaning chemicals in it.

Cheryl Kingery said she suffered severe damage to her esophagus after drinking coffee from a Starbucks just north of Salt Lake City.

A lawsuit filed last week claims Kingery ingested a Urnex specialty cleaning product for coffee and espresso equipment.

According to court documents, Kingery now suffers from Burning Mouth Syndrome; loss of taste; numbness in lips and tongue; and oral nerve damage.

This isn't the first incident of its kind for the Beehive State, about a year ago a woman suffered third-degree chemical burns in her mouth and throat after drinking some Iced Tea mixed with a powerful cleaning chemical at a Dickey's Barbeque.

The woman settled out of court with the chain for an undisclosed amount of money.

Kingery is seeking $1.5 million to cover medical expenses, lost wages and other costs, plus at least $500,000 in damages for suffering and distress.

A company spokeswoman says Starbucks is taking the claim seriously and is investigating. She says in a statement that quote:

"The safety of our customers is our No. 1 priority."