Montgomery County Circuit Judge Eric Johnson is currently deciding whether liability should be imposed on bars that serve alcohol to drunken patrons that end up causing Maryland car crash that results in injuries or death. The state is one of the remaining few in this country that does not have a dram shop liability law that holds vendors civilly liable for this.
At issue is the $3.25 million Montgomery County, Maryland wrongful death complaint filed by the guardians of Jazmine Warr against JMGM Group LLC, which owns Dogfish Head Alehouse. Warr, 10, died from the car carsh injuries she sustained in 2008 when the jeep she was in was rear-ended by a car driven driver Michael D. Eaton, who was drunk at the time and speeding at 88 to 99 mph. Also injured in the Maryland car crash were Warr’s 11-year-old half-sister Cortovia Harris and William J. Warr and Angela T. Warr. According to state police, Eaton, who was known for being a drunk, was at the Dogfish Head Alehouse for two hours before the deadly traffic crash.
In their Montgomery County, Maryland car accident lawsuit, Warr’s guardians want the restaurant to pay for serving alcohol to Eaton. However, the defendant’s legal representation is seeking to get Judge Johnson to rule in favor of the restaurant owner because of the lack of a dram shop liability law. Johnson had already ruled to send the wrongful death case to trial, so this would be his second decision following Johnson’s request.
Losing someone you love in a Montgomery County car crash is never easy and the accompanying costs, losses, and damages can be unaffordable. If there are parties that should be held liable, an experienced Maryland personal injury lawyer can gather and analyze the evidence to determine who should be blamed.
Judge to write second decision on Dogfish case, Gazette.net, June 24, 2011
Dogfish Head Alehouse in Gaithersburg sued for enabling drunk driving, Baltimore Sun, December 16, 2010
More Blog Posts:
$3.25M Montgomery County, Maryland Wrongful Death Lawsuit Seeks Damages from Bar Over 2008 Drunk Driving Crash that Killed 10-Year-Old, Maryland Accident Law Blog, December 21, 2010
Rockville Man Gets 20 Years for Deaths of Two Pedestrians in Fatal Drunken Driving Crash, Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog, June 24, 2011
Baltimore Auto Accident News: Maryland Driver Sentenced to 3 Years for Fatal DUI Pedestrian Crash, Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog, June 5, 2011