A company has filed a third lawsuit against Starbucks, claiming that the coffee chain stole its idea for coffee-flavoured lip gloss and lipstick. Balmuccino filed a complaint in Manhattan federal court on Friday. Among its leaders is the sister-in-law of TV doctor Mehmet Oz.
Prototypes and other sensitive information were shared by Balmuccino, which stated that it started creating coffee-flavored lip balms in 2016 and presented the idea at a meeting held in October 2018 at Starbucks’ New York headquarters.
Dr. Oz arranged the meeting, according to the Los Angeles-based company, by reaching out to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz about a potential joint venture. Balmuccino claimed that when Starbucks introduced its “S’mores Frappuccino Sip Kit” in April 2019, it “stole” their fully developed concept for lip balms.
Balmuccino claims it was not paid by Starbucks for selling Sip Kits and is suing for punitive and unspecified compensatory damages.
It claimed that because New York allows certain plaintiffs to postpone statutes of limitations when they file a lawsuit in the incorrect court and, “as here,” a judge determines that the lawsuit is not time-barred, it is still possible.
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