Andrew Scibelli Files Personal Injury Lawsuit Against McDonald’s in Richmond County

Andrew Scibelli, 63, filed a personal injury complaint in Richmond County accusing McDonald’s of negligence after hot coffee spilled on him at the Grant City drive-thru, leaving him with second- and third-degree burns that his lawyers describe as serious and permanent. The complaint was filed Feb. 4, 2026 in New York Supreme Court, Richmond County, as case no. 150260/2026.

The suit says the March 12, 2023 incident occurred at about 9:30 a.m. at the McDonald’s on 2154 Hylan Blvd. Scibelli, a resident of the Ocean Breeze neighborhood about two miles from the restaurant, had ordered food and “multiple coffees” at the drive-thru. Manhattan-based injury attorney Leigh Eskenasi says that “when a worker handed the tray of coffees over to him, ‘none of the lids were secured, and they all spilled.’” Eskenasi said the coffees “spilled all over his chest, abdomen and groin,” and that the restaurant’s “negligence” and “carelessness” caused Scibelli to be “incapacitated” by his injuries. Scibelli drove home after the spill; his wife then took him to Northwell Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze. The complaint says he “continues to incur medical expenses.”

The filing names multiple corporate defendants in different ways. Court docket entries list McDonald’s Corporation, McDonald’s USA, LLC and five additional unnamed parties. Local reporting identifies McDonald’s Corporation and Lisa’s Food Enterprises, a Staten Island-based franchisee that the filing materials describe as owning several McDonald’s restaurants in the tri-state area. The complaint itself will be the authoritative source for the full defendant list and the precise allegations. Neither company responded Friday to a request for comment.

The complaint characterizes the harm as a breach of the restaurant’s duty to ensure patron safety and frames the case as a tort action alleging personal injury. The filing does not specify a damages amount and no responsive pleadings or subsequent docket events have been recorded in the public summary available at filing.

For workers and franchise operators, the suit highlights familiar fault lines in fast-food safety: drive-thru pace, beverage-handling procedures, and how corporate standards interact with franchise practices. Lawsuits over restaurant coffee and spill incidents are not uncommon, and this case places a spotlight on training and operational controls at a high-traffic Hylan Blvd. location.

What comes next is procedural: the court record will show whether and when the remaining defendants are served, what defenses are raised, and whether the case proceeds toward discovery or settlement. For crew members and managers, the dispute underscores the practical importance of secure lids, tray handling and documented safety steps that can reduce injury risk and limit liability exposure.