A San Antonio restaurant chain must pay $2.9 million in damages after a customer was severely burned by its barbecue sauce, as reported by the NY Post. Genesis Monita, 19, sustained second-degree burns on her thigh after spilling Bill Miller Bar-B-Q’s
“dangerously hot”
sauce in 2023, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
A Bexar County jury found the restaurant guilty of
“gross negligence”
on Friday. Monita was awarded $900,000 for her physical and emotional suffering, medical expenses, and lost wages. Additionally, she received $1.8 million in punitive damages, according to Kens 5.
In May 2023, Monita and her sister picked up breakfast tacos at the drive-thru on their way to school and chose to eat them in their car in the restaurant’s parking lot. The barbecue sauce was so hot that Monita dropped the container, causing the sauce to seep through her torn jeans and result in a burn, she alleged. In her lawsuit, she stated that she was never warned that the condiment — which was 189 degrees, far exceeding the 165-degree limit it should have been — was
“dangerously hot.”
She also claimed it was not in a suitable container to hold it.
Bill Miller Bar-B-Q Responds
During the trial, Monita and her mother shared that the injury caused her to miss school and work, leading to a period of depression. Lawrence Morales II, an attorney representing Monita, told the jurors that another woman had burned her abdomen with barbecue sauce from the same Bill Miller location. He noted that since these incidents, the company has not implemented any new safety measures.
The restaurant claimed that after Monita’s injury, it provided her with a check for her medical expenses. They also offered to clean her car, and compensated her for lost wages. However, she turned down these offers, per The Independent. They also argued that Monita did not require further medical visits after her initial appointment and that she did not lose her job.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
BBQ chain must fork over $2.9M to customer burned by its ‘dangerously hot’ sauce https://t.co/nm0jSH15xj pic.twitter.com/b7bm0LhQBX
— New York Post (@nypost) January 18, 2025