Houston's famed Trill Burgers is facing judicial heat after a temporary injunction was filed against the joint and its owners, which include hometown hero Bun B. According to court documents, the motion filed on May 14 by the legal team for Patsy and Benson Vivares, former managers at Trill Burgers, has put a significant restriction on the restaurant's operations. This comes amidst a lawsuit where both parties lob accusations of financial foul play and betrayal.
In a move right out of a daytime courtroom drama, the Vivareses claim their ex-partners, which includes the rapper and entrepreneur Bun B, stole a smashburger recipe and pushed them out from Trill Burgers. FOX 26 reported that the lawsuit filed by Trill Burgers, LLC, details allegations of the defendants' mishandling of company funds and breach of fiduciary duty. Charles Adams, representing Trill Burgers, slammed the claims, stating, "Patsy and Benson Vivares completely failed to provide testimony that supported Patsy Vivares’ prior sworn statements accusing Mr. Freeman of being a thief and sworn bigoted suggestion he was tied to an unknown criminal underworld."
The case, which has not just Bun B but also partners Andy Nguyen and Nick Scurfield in the legal limelight, has unearthed the messy origins of the local burger sensation. Chron has extensively covered the back-and-forth of the lawsuit, revealing that the Vivares siblings assert that their former colleagues lifted their smashburger concept and ousted them from the business they helped create. Countering the Vivareses' story, the defense claims that the siblings misappropriated a hearty $45,000 to settle debts at their other venture, Sticky’s Chicken.
Last week, Judge Craft-Demming's court issued the injunction, which doesn't just impact Trill Burgers but extends to associated entities and other ventures that have popped up since the Vivareses' departure. Despite the litigation's drama and the restrictive order, Bun B and his team vow to keep the grills hot and the burgers flipping. "The plan moving forward," states Adams, "Trill Burgers will continue to serve the best hamburgers in Houston… and is still looking forward to their day before a trier of fact, whether it be an arbitrator or a jury, to further expose the simple truths of this dispute and obtain an award of the appropriate compensation for the alleged bad acts of their former colleagues." Trill Burgers and its legal counsel are poised to appeal and shake off the shackles of the provisional court order.
As the legal griddle sizzles, the Vivareses' counsel has not publicly countered the latest statements. The burger brawl is certainly not over, and Houston's foodies are left watching as the city's viral smashburger spot navigates through its legal predicaments. The outcome of this case could sizzle well into the summer, but for now, at Trill Burgers, it's business as usual — albeit with one hand proverbially tied behind their back.
