$3.1 Million

Dram Shop Jury Verdict

The Case: In 2017, a Sunoco convenience store in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, sold four “tall boy” beers to a 19-year-old boy, who went on to share it with his 19-year-old friend. After drinking the beers, the second teen—who would later admit to being drunk from the beer he purchased at Sunoco—got behind the wheel of a car. He crossed the center line of a two-lane road into oncoming traffic and crashed into our client, Damien Cooper, who was on his way to work. At the high speed of 75 miles per hour, the crash caused devastating injury to our client.

The Outcome: Sunoco denied that the sale occurred for four years. Video and documentary evidence of the sale disappeared. During trial, they argued that they had no liability for selling to a minor who shared it with another minor who then harmed our client. Sunoco also argued and presented experts that questioned the extent of our client’s injuries.

Despite their failure to accept any responsibility, our attorneys ultimately proved Sunoco was jointly at fault in this tragedy. The jury awarded Cooper $3,164,000 for his past medical expenses, all future medical expenses, 30 percent loss of earning capacity, and non-economic damages.