A part-time barista at a Los Angeles Starbucks was violently assaulted after telling a guest they couldn’t use the restroom without first making a purchase, according to court filings reviewed by The Independent. In a federal lawsuit filed August 17, Aaron Gomez, who worked at a Starbucks near the Los Angeles airport, says he was simply carrying out orders from supervisors when the bathroom-seeker went ballistic on him. The man first “became verbally aggressive,” quickly escalating to threats of physical harm, Gomez’s complaint states.
He then “charged at” Gomez and “proceeded to… attack him,” the complaint goes on. Gomez was later fired for throwing the pitcher, which he claims he did solely in self-defense, the complaint says, adding that he is “currently receiving therapy to address the emotional distress he has suffered as a result.” Prior to the May 13, 2025, assault, Gomez “had expressed concerns” to his manager about the possible safety risks of enforcing the Starbucks restroom policy, which has been, variously, loosened and tightened throughout the years in an attempt to avoid “disruptive” behavior and safety issues. The most recent Starbucks “Coffeehouse Code of Conduct” specifies that restrooms are for paying customers only.
Its position is backed up by the National Retail Federation, which said last year in a statement that businesses have a right to set their own policies on restroom use. In an email, a Starbucks spokesperson told The Independent, “We are aware of the claims and are reviewing the matter. Because the facts are still being evaluated, we are not in a position to comment further.” The attorneys representing Gomez declined to comment on the case, citing active litigation.
However, Steven Soifer, who co-founded the American Restroom Association, a nonprofit seeking to open public toilets to all who need them, called the Starbucks bathroom controversy a “never-ending story.” He told The Independent that while the association “doesn’t condone any sort of violent behavior, the customer was actually in the right in terms of restroom access.” “Restroom access is a civil rights issue,” Soifer said. If you think about it, if you go to McDonald’s or Dunkin’ Donuts, it’s never an issue.” Still, Soifer went on, the association has looked into suing Starbucks to ensure wider restroom access but decided it would be cost-prohibitive for his small organization to take on the coffee giant. In November 2023, Gomez was hired as a barista at a Starbucks in a strip mall on Lincoln Boulevard in the Westchester section of L.A., according to his complaint, which was initially filed May 26 in Los Angeles County Superior Court before being removed to Los Angeles federal court on August 17.
It says he started out at $17.50 an hour, later getting a raise to $21.50, and worked between 25 and 35 hours a week. In it, Gomez says he had previously been pepper-sprayed by an unhappy customer, although it is unclear from the filing if the dust-up was bathroom-related. However, it contends that Gomez worried that customers would “become aggressive” toward staff charged with imposing the restroom rule, but that his unease was not taken seriously.
According to the complaint, a Starbucks shift lead who witnessed last year’s assault immediately contacted the district manager and asked her to call the police, who “never arrived at the scene.” The store manager ordered the location closed for the remainder of the day, the complaint states. Gomez submitted an incident report via the Starbucks app, and provided written statements to Starbucks brass, according to the complaint. It says he returned to work the next day and showed management the “dark purple bruises and knot that had formed on his chest from the assault.” Gomez also requested a copy of the security footage that had captured the assault, but was denied, the complaint alleges.
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