A Texas jury has ordered Bill Miller Bar-B-Q to pay $2.8 million to Genesis Monita, a 19-year-old woman from San Antonio after she suffered a second-degree burn from hot barbecue sauce. The incident occurred in May 2023 when Monita ordered breakfast tacos with barbecue sauce from the restaurant. Upon removing the sauce container from the bag, she dropped it on her leg due to its extreme heat, resulting in a severe burn.
According to court documents, the sauce was served at 189 degrees, exceeding the restaurant’s policy of a minimum of 165 degrees. The jury, consisting of six men and six women, found Bill Miller Bar-B-Q “grossly negligent” and awarded Monita $1.9 million in punitive damages. Additionally, she received $900,000 for past and future mental anguish, physical pain, and impairment, along with more than $25,000 for medical expenses.
The case has drawn comparisons to the infamous McDonald’s coffee lawsuit from the 1990s, where a customer was awarded nearly $3 million after suffering burns from hot coffee. Bill Miller Bar-B-Q, founded in 1953 and headquartered in San Antonio, operates 75 locations across Texas. The restaurant chain has not yet filed an appeal against the ruling.
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