San Antonio, Texas – A local restaurant, Bill Miller Bar-B-Q, has been ordered to pay $2.8 million for serving a customer scalding barbecue sauce that resulted in second-degree burns, her lawyer said. This judgment comes after a San Antonio woman pursued legal action against the restaurant chain.
Genesis Monita initiated the lawsuit against Bill Miller Bar-B-Q Enterprises back in October. According to court filings, she experienced the painful burn in May after purchasing breakfast from the restaurant’s drive-thru at the Loop 410 and Old Pearsall Road location. Monita, who had ordered breakfast tacos along with barbecue sauce, found the sauce’s temperature dangerously high.
Court documents reveal that shortly after receiving her order, she parked at the restaurant to eat when the hot sauce spilled onto her right thigh, causing substantial injury. The complaint further detailed that the restaurant’s failure to warn customers about the potentially hazardous temperature of the sauce contributed to her injuries.
According to the lawsuit, the heat of the sauce not only caused immediate physical pain but also long-term physical impairment and disfigurement to Monita. She claimed the incident led to considerable mental anguish, medical expenses, and lost wages due to the recovery period.
During the trial, Monita’s attorney, Lawrence Morales, highlighted the discrepancy between the temperature at which Bill Miller Bar-B-Q served their sauce and the state guideline temperatures. Despite the chain’s policy of serving barbecue sauce at 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the sauce was reportedly at 189 degrees Fahrenheit at the time of the incident. In contrast, state guidelines recommend a much safer 135 degrees Fahrenheit as the serving temperature.
Morales pointed out to the court that this is not the first time customers have been endangered by the restaurant’s hot sauce, referencing a similar occurrence two years prior at the same location.
In the trial’s aftermath, a jury in Bexar County found the restaurant fully liable for Monita’s injuries and the damages sustained, ruling in her favor. Morales expressed satisfaction with the trial outcome, underscoring that Monita sought justice above all else.
The incident raises important questions about food safety and the responsibilities of food service establishments to ensure all items served meet safety standards that protect consumers from harm.
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