In this timeline, we explore the legal dispute surrounding Trill Burgers, a popular Houston restaurant co-owned by Bun B. The saga involves accusations of financial misappropriation and recipe theft, with both sides embroiled in a heated legal battle.
July 2021: Trill Burgers was formed as a Houston pop-up restaurant with five managers: Benson Vivares, Patsy Vivares, Bun B, Andy Nguyen, and Nick Scurfield. The Vivares siblings also ran their food truck business, Sticky’s Chicken, where they claim to have developed the recipe for the OG Trill Burger.
Recommended Videos
March-June 2022: The partnership between the Vivares siblings and their co-owners ended. Benson and Patsy Vivares were accused of using funds from Trill Burgers to pay off debts for Sticky’s Chicken.
January 2023: Bun B, Nguyen, and Scurfield sued the Vivares siblings, accusing them of misappropriating $45,000. They sent a separation agreement, which the Vivares siblings did not sign, nor did they return the misappropriated funds. The plaintiffs sought access to past account information to determine how funds were spent.
October 30, 2023: The Vivares siblings responded to the lawsuit by filing a general denial, denying all allegations made by Bun B and his partners. They demanded strict proof of these allegations and asserted that their actions were justified under the business judgment rule.
January 5, 2024: The Vivares siblings filed counterclaims against Bun B, Nguyen, and Scurfield, accusing them of trying to deceive and oust them from Trill Burgers LLC. The counterclaims alleged that Bun B and his partners breached their fiduciary duties by operating competing businesses under the name “Trill Burgers” and diverting funds and resources away from Trill Burgers LLC.
RELATED: Trill Burgers ordered to stop paying owners management fee, court documents say
Late May 2024: The Vivares siblings filed a temporary injunction against Bun B and his partners, ordering Trill Burgers to stop paying management fees and report expenditures over $10,000. The court also ordered Trill Burgers to repay attorney’s fees and forbade entities and owners from hiring counsel.