Starbucks Sued Over Under-Filled Lattes

Two former Starbucks fanatics are suing the coffee giant for chronically under-filling its lattes in an attempt to save money on milk, Grub Street reports. The class-action lawsuit filed Wednesday by Siera Strumlauf and Benjamin Robles—who used to go to Starbucks multiple times every week—claims the company has "saved countless millions of dollars" through an act of intentional fraud against its customers. According to TMZ, the suit alleges all three sizes of Starbucks lattes are regularly under-filled by at least 25%. And while the foam will occasionally reach the top of the cup, the lawsuit cites food science when it claims foam doesn't count toward a drink's volume.

The lawsuit blames new pitchers with "fill lines" issued to Starbucks locations in 2009 for the problem. They say those fill lines cap milk at an amount that couldn't possibly fill the company's cups. Starbucks counters that its "handcrafted beverages" are going to vary by location and employee, and its customers are aware of that. Robles and Strumlauf are seeking damages for Starbucks latte drinkers everywhere. (A Starbucks employee made better headlines with her gesture on behalf of a deaf customer.)