Remember when a woman sued McDonald's for being burned by scorching coffee? A similar lawsuit has been won in Texas. Nearly two years ago, 19-year-old Genesis Monita got a second-degree burn on her thigh from hot sauce that came with her breakfast tacos.
It happened at Bill Miller Bar-B-Q in San Antonio, on May 19th, 2023. A jury awarded her $2.8 million. Her attorney, Lawrence Morales II, said Monita and her sister ordered their food and sat in their car to eat. He said Genesis' Bar-B-Cue sauce was so hot, that when she touched it it fell on her leg causing a second-degree burn on her thigh.
He said they learned before the trial that Bill Miller's has a policy to serve barbecue sauce in Styrofoam containers, but that day it was served in a plastic container. He said they also learned the restaurant's policy was to serve the sauce at no more than 165 degrees, but the sauce Monita was given was 189 degrees.
"A couple of years before at that same store another customer was burned by barbecue sauce and when she complained Bill Miller's didn't do anything about it. They didn't investigate. They didn't tell the managers at that store or the other store. They just put the report in a drawer and forgot about it," Morales said.
He said he spoke to the jury post-verdict and they told him, "If you have safety policies it's important you follow them, and you can't put company profit over safety."
He said Monita went to a clinic after she was burned and was treated. However, this happened shortly before her high school graduation so she had to miss some graduation activities and needed help bathing. He said the injury affected her self-image. She has since recovered.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up to receive our KRLD Insider Newsletter for more news
Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube