Home US Top BBQ chain pays MILLIONS to female customer, 19, who was brutally burned by sauce

Top BBQ chain pays MILLIONS to female customer, 19, who was brutally burned by sauce

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Genesis Monita, seen here, and her sister went to Bill Miller's in San Antonio, Texas, to get four breakfast tacos before heading to school on May 19, 2023

A popular barbecue chain has been ordered to pay $2.8 million to a teenager who was brutally burned by their sauce.

Genesis Monita, 19, and her sister went to Bill Miller’s in San Antonio, Texas, to get four breakfast tacos before heading to school on May 19, 2023.

After receiving their food in the drive-through line, she drove them to an area in the restaurant parking lot to eat.

She said in court filings that the container of barbecue sauce was extremely hot when she took it out and caused her to drop it, causing burns to her upper right leg.

After less than two hours of deliberation, a Bexar County District Court jury decided that the horrific injuries she suffered were the result of “gross negligence.”

Jurors awarded her $900,000 for her mental anguish, physical pain and past and future disabilities. San Antonio Express News.

She was also awarded $25,225 for medical care costs and $700 for lost earnings, in addition to $1.9 million in damages on top of the compensation.

Monita spoke after the jury’s decision News 4: ‘No one has ever apologized to me, they just shook my hand. I have not received an apology from them.

Genesis Monita, seen here, and her sister went to Bill Miller’s in San Antonio, Texas, to get four breakfast tacos before heading to school on May 19, 2023

She said in court filings that the container of barbecue sauce was extremely hot when she took it out and caused her to drop it, causing burns to her upper right leg.

She said in court filings that the container of barbecue sauce was extremely hot when she took it out and caused her to drop it, causing burns to her upper right leg.

“I just hoped that Bill Miller’s could put their customers first and not blame them like they did to me.” Two years (later) I’m just glad it’s over.”

The sauce was 189 degrees when she dropped it on itself, 24 degrees above the temperature stated in company policy.

In court, Bill Miller’s attorney Barry McClenahan countered that the 165 degrees is a minimum temperature to meet safety.

He added that there was no policy prohibiting the sauce from being heated to 189 degrees.

Attorney Lawrence Morales II, who represented the teen, told the jury on Jan. 15 that the chain had violated their safety policy regarding food temperatures.

“Bill Miller’s unequivocal policy is that they serve their sauce at 165 degrees. Bill Miller violated their safety policy and had their barbecue sauce heated to a dangerous temperature of 189 degrees.”

He also claimed that they further violated their policy by serving the sauce in a 4-ounce plastic cup instead of a Styrofoam cup.

Morales said restaurants should warn customers if their food or serving containers are dangerously hot and claimed the chain failed to do so this time.

After receiving their food in the drive-through line, she drove them to an area in the restaurant parking lot to eat

After receiving their food in the drive-through line, she drove them to an area in the restaurant parking lot to eat

In court, Bill Miller's attorney, Barry McClenahan, countered that the 165 degrees is a minimum temperature to meet safety.

In court, Bill Miller’s attorney, Barry McClenahan, countered that the 165 degrees is a minimum temperature to meet safety.

However, McClenahan hit back at the allegations, saying Monita’s own negligence was the “proximate cause” of the incident.

‘What had we warned Mrs Monita about that she didn’t already know? She had eaten the sauce a hundred times, and it was always the same temperature.

“At Bill Miller’s the sauce is always hot, and our customers know that. And that’s why it’s hot,” McClenahan said.

Referring to the use of plastic cups, he told the court that manufacturers had said they were safe up to 230 degrees.

Bill Miller’s had previously tried to reimburse Monita for her medical expenses, lost income and to have her car cleaned.

One of their arguments was that Monita only received medical care for the burn on the day of the incident and never went to the doctors again.

Monita added: “I want to thank my lawyers and my jury for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself.

“So that played a big role, honestly, because I was ready to give up, but they kept telling me, ‘No, keep going.’ So I just want to thank them very much for everything they’ve done for me.’

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