Ronnoco Coffee responded last month to a Madison County personal injury suit saying that it is not at fault for burns allegedly suffered by Deborah Stinger three years ago at the Argosy casino in Alton.
Named as a third party defendant by the casino in April, Ronnoco states that any injuries Stinger may have suffered when she spilled complimentary hot coffee on her hand were not its fault.
The company, represented by David Bub and Brandon Copeland of Brown and James in Belleville, further states that the alleged injuries are the fault of Stinger and the casino.
"Plaintiff's injuries, to the extent any exist, were made worse by her own failure to mitigate," Copeland wrote.
Stinger's complaint alleges that that when she turned from a beverage area, she spilled hot coffee on her hand, allegedly causing severe burns.
She claims the defendant knew or should have known of the coffee’s extreme temperature; and that it failed to exercise ordinary care to properly prepare and maintain the brew’s degree of warmth.
Argosy Casino has previously denied liability, arguing that hot coffee is an “open and obvious condition” and its conduct was “reasonable, prudent and common in the industry and met the commonly accepted industry standards.”
Stinger is represented by Julia Kerr of Brown & Crouppen in St. Louis.
Argosy Casino is represented by Greg A. Kinney of HeplerBroom in Edwardsville.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 15-L-556