Cmon Let's all Sue Everyone...again

[crash-proof]

What's next? Sueing beer companies cause beer has ALCOHOL???
Granted, I feel bad for the couple...but sue Outback??????? This world is gettin f*cked up.


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Restaurant Ordered to Pay Couple $39M
Fri Jun 27,12:41 AM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!


MUNCIE, Ind. - Jurors ordered the corporate owner of an Outback Steakhouse to pay $39 million to a couple severely injured when they were hit by an allegedly drunken driver who had just left the restaurant.

David and Lisa Markley filed the complaint against the restaurant in 1999, two years after the accident.

The lawsuit alleged that the driver became intoxicated at a party celebrating the restaurant's grand opening. After he left the party, his car crossed a highway center line and collided with a motorcycle operated by David Markley.

Markley suffered broken bones that left him unable to return to his factory job. His wife, a passenger on the motorcycle, suffered internal and leg injuries that required more than 40 surgeries.

"She's in constant pain every day of her life," said the couple's attorney, Michael J. Alexander.

Attorneys for the restaurant chain said they expected to appeal.

Some witnesses said alcohol was served free to guests at the grand opening. Others said they paid a dime each for mixed drinks and beer.

The Muncie restaurant is one of more than 600 owned by Florida-based Outback Steakhouse Inc.

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[DenverDude2002]

Some Interesting Info

At my former job i worked at a restaurant and I was good friends with one of the managers there. Heeres some interesting information regarding that lawsuit:

1. If a person serves a minor the following consequences will happen: The restaurant may get shut down, the restaurant will receive a huge fine, the server and bartender face fines termination and jailtime. Total load of BS in my opinion but the law is the law.

2. If a person does get in an accident due to intoxiation from the restaurant the restuarant may indeed BE HELD LIABLE no questions asked. We had a policy that if the person appeared to be incpaciated we would not allow them to leave and would call them a cab or make them call someone and pick them up. This almost happened on 3 occasions as I can remember.

So in theory this lawsuit may have a chance, restuarants seem to get the blame a lot for stuff like that and aparently (at least in colorado) the law states it.

 

[EngineOut]

Secondary liability. Depends on the state in which you work. I've worked the biz in Oregon, Washington, and Texas. Oregon, by far, is the most severe on the last operator to serve a drunk driver. Washington (who seems to be in close competition with Oregon in everything legislative) is a close 2nd. Texas talks the talk, but ineffective enforcement leads to occasional crack-downs and limited precedent for attorneys.

I quit my last bartending gig, though, because the day-shift dude was arrested five minutes before my shift started. Sold to a stinger (undercover minor). Made my flying career pass right before my eyes!