Bill Miller Bar-B-Q to pay $2.8M over 'dangerously hot' BBQ sauce

FILE: Barbecue sauce (Photo by Amy Brothers/ Then Denver Post)

A Texas jury ordered Bill Miller Bar-B-Q to pay $2.8 million to a woman who was burned after being served dangerously hot barbecue sauce.

Bill Miller Bar-B-Q Lawsuit

Genesis Monita, a 19-year-old woman from San Antonio, was served sauce that gave her a second-degree burn.

The incident happened in May 2023, when Monita ordered breakfast tacos with barbecue sauce.

The sauce container was so hot that when she grabbed it from the bag, she dropped it onto her leg, causing a second-degree burn.

Bill Miller's sauce policy states they serve the sauce at a minimum of 165 degrees.

On that day, it was 189 degrees, according to the suit.

Lawsuit ruling

A jury of six men and six women ruled in favor of the 19-year-old on Friday.

The restaurant chain has been ordered to pay Monita $2.8 million dollars.

By the numbers:

Monita was paid $900,000 for past and future mental anguish, physical pain and impairment.

More than $25,000 was paid for her medical expenses.

After finding Bill Miller was "grossly negligent" in the case, the jury awarded Monita $1.9 million in punitive damages.

What's next:

Bill Miller Bar-B-Q could appeal the ruling.

Court records do not show that an appeal has been filed at this time.

Bill Miller Bar-B-Q

The backstory:

Bill Miller Bar-B-Q is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.

The chain was founded in 1953 and has more than 70 locations in Texas.

The Source: Information in this article comes from court documents from Texas' 225th Civil District Court.

TexasFood and Drink