A North Carolina police officer is suing Starbucks Coffee after spilling a free cup of coffee and burning himself.

Officer Matthew Kohr is seeking $50,000 to compensate emotional damage, blisters and burns from the incident in January 2012.

Mr Kohr’s lawsuit claims that his coffee cup collapsed after his lid popped off. He says that stress from the incident triggered his Crohn’s disease, leading to surgery to remove parts of his intestines, WRAL-TV reports.

The suit also says his wife Melanie lost also suffered emotional damage by losing a “source of emotional support, her social companion and her intimate partner.”

Initially the lawsuit named the barista who prepared the drink but was later removed.

Starbucks’ attorneys have argued that Mr Kohr’s suit should be dismissed because he did not purchase his cup of coffee.