$$3 Million

Dram Shop Alcohol Liability

The Case: This lawsuit was filed against a restaurant for violating South Carolina's alcohol liability statutes through over-service of alcohol to a customer who was subsequently involved in a fatal automobile collision. The customer, after being served 8 glasses of wine by the restaurant, drove the wrong way down the highway and crashed into Plaintiff's vehicle injuring him and, most tragically, killing his twelve year old child. The at-fault drunk driver had a BAC of .21 and was sentenced to twelve years in prison for felony DUI. Evidence uncovered during discovery showed that the restaurant not only served its customer to the point of intoxication but they also failed to call 911 in violation of company policy when they learned that the customer had staggered into the parking lot, run over a bush and drove drunk away from the restaurant.

The Outcome: This most challenging part of this hard-fought settlement with the restaurant was the fact that a previous settlement reached with another at-fault party created a set-off of $5,250,000 had the case gone to verdict. This additional settlement brought the total recovery for the Plaintiffs to $8,250,000.