A 19-year-old woman from Texas is set to receive millions in damages after suing a barbecue restaurant chain, claiming that their overly hot sauce caused her serious injuries. The woman, Genesis Monita, took legal action against Bill Miller Bar-B-Q Enterprises after she said scalding barbecue sauce spilled on her lap, leaving her with second-degree burns.
The incident happened in May 2023 when Genesis visited the Bill Miller BBQ location on Southwest Loop 410 in San Antonio with her sister. The pair ordered four breakfast tacos through the drive-thru and parked in the restaurant’s lot to eat. While enjoying her meal, Genesis pulled out a container of barbecue sauce. According to her lawsuit, the sauce was so hot that she accidentally dropped it, spilling the contents onto her lap and burning her upper right thigh.
Her lawyer, Lawrence Morales, shared that the jury’s decision, reached on Friday, brought a sense of justice for Genesis. Morales said the restaurant served the sauce at a temperature far above state safety guidelines. Texas rules recommend sauces be kept at 135 degrees Fahrenheit, but the restaurant allegedly served it at a blistering 189 degrees that day.
Morales argued that this wasn’t the first time such an incident had occurred. “How many more people need to be burned by the barbecue sauce for Bill Miller to fix it?” he asked the jury, referencing a similar case from two years earlier.
On the other side, the restaurant’s attorney, Barry McClenahan, defended the chain’s practices. He stated that the sauce was heated to a minimum of 165 degrees, as required by food safety regulations, but acknowledged there was no policy against heating it even hotter. McClenahan also argued that Genesis knew how hot the sauce typically was, as she had eaten it many times before. “At Bill Miller’s, the sauce is always hot, and our customers know that,” he said. “What would we have warned Ms. Monita of that she didn’t already know?”
Despite the defense’s argument, the jury sided with Genesis. Morales expressed his satisfaction with the outcome, calling it a victory for his client and a push for accountability.
The verdict is a significant moment, highlighting the importance of safety measures in food service. As Genesis recovers from her injuries, the case serves as a reminder to businesses to prioritize customer well-being.
