BJ Food Services, Inc., the company that operates Bebo’s BBQ, has taken to the Carolina court a controversy that began on social media with a derogatory comment about the Puerto Rican flag. The company says the restaurant was falsely linked to a woman who, it maintains, has nothing to do with its business. In a 48-page filing submitted on September 28, the company seeks $3.5 million in compensatory damages, a neutral preliminary order to preserve evidence and, only after final adjudication of the case, narrowly tailored declaratory, corrective and permanent remedies.
The dispute arose after a woman allegedly made disparaging remarks about the Puerto Rican flag. According to videos circulated on social media, she called the symbol a "rag of another country’s flag," reacting to bachata singer Dalvin "La Melodía" getting a Puerto Rican flag tattoo instead of that of his native Dominican Republic. Another woman then shared a video claiming the first woman was the daughter, relative, employee or representative of Bebo’s BBQ’s owner.
The lawsuit says that information was false and that spreading it led to the legal action, filed through attorney José Enrico Valenzuela Alvarado of Valenzuela-Alvarado, LLC. The suit states the original viral controversy had no relation to BJ Food Services or Bebo’s BBQ. Defendants include Alma J. Criquit Espinal (also known as Jackeline Criquit Espinal and Alma Caridad Espinal Estrella), Miguel Ángel Criquit, Javier (known as "Javi Bimbo" and "Javi The Profeta"), Katherine Vila, their possible conjugal partnerships, and 10 unnamed defendants.