--- description: Two Starbucks customers can move forward with their lawsuit accusing the coffee chain of underfilling their lattes, a federal judge said. title: Starbucks Customers to Seek Damages for Underfilled Lattes image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0ee43cdd0df5775a/6988989ca988ca03e86b84e6/starbucks.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Food & Drink](/tag/food-drink/) ## Food & Drink Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Lawsuit Accusing Starbucks of Underfilling Lattes Can Move Forward, Judge Says by [Rosalie Chan](/author/rosalie-chan/) ## Rosalie Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 20, 2016 6:39 PM CUT  A staff serves beverages at a Starbucks coffee shop in Seoul on Mar. 7, 2016. A staff serves beverages at a Starbucks coffee shop in Seoul on Mar. 7, 2016.Kim Hong-Ji—Reuters by [Rosalie Chan](/author/rosalie-chan/) ## Rosalie Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 20, 2016 6:39 PM CUT Two Starbucks customers can move forward with their lawsuit accusing the coffee chain of underfilling their [lattes](http://time.com/4166099/latte-macchiato-starbucks/?iid=sr-link8 "undefined"), a federal judge said. The California customers can seek damages against [Starbucks](http://time.com/4352301/starbucks-nitro-cold-brew/?iid=sr-link9 "undefined") for fraud and false advertising, said U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson in San Francisco, according to [Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-starbucks-lawsuit-lattes-idUSKCN0Z61RZ "undefined"). The plaintiffs, Siera Strumlauf of San Francisco and Benjamin Robles of Carlsbad, said that the pitchers baristas use for heating milk have “fill to” lines that are too low. In addition, they said that the drink cups have 1/4 inch of free space, which cheats customers because the cups for tall, grande and venti lattes hold exactly 12, 16 and 20 ounces. Henderson did not rule on the case’s merits. On Monday, [Starbucks](http://time.com/4290598/starbucks-rewards-program/?iid=sr-link4 "undefined") spokesman Reggie Borges said the company believes the lawsuit is without merit. He also said [Starbucks](http://time.com/4244456/starbucks-italy-coffee-traditions/?iid=sr-link3 "undefined") is prepared to defend itself and that if a customer is not satisfied with a beverage, “we will gladly remake it.” Earlier this year, an Illinois woman filed a lawsuit against Starbucks for putting [too much ice](http://time.com/4313915/starbucks-lawsuit-iced-coffee-ice/?iid=sr-link10 "undefined") in its drinks. \[[_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-starbucks-lawsuit-lattes-idUSKCN0Z61RZ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4375170/starbucks-underfill-lattes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4375170/starbucks-underfill-lattes/"},"headline":"Lawsuit Accusing Starbucks of Underfilling Lattes Can Move Forward, Judge Says","datePublished":"2016-06-20T18:39:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T22:43:20.760Z","description":"The drink cups have too much empty space, customers said","url":"https://time.com/4375170/starbucks-underfill-lattes/","keywords":["Food & Drink","Advertising","Brands","Companies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0ee43cdd0df5775a/6988989ca988ca03e86b84e6/starbucks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rosalie Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rosalie-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0ee43cdd0df5775a/6988989ca988ca03e86b84e6/starbucks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A staff serves beverages at a Starbucks coffee shop in Seoul","caption":"A staff serves beverages at a Starbucks coffee shop in Seoul, South Korea, March 7, 2016. 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