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Tiger Woods Lawsuit Confusion.

aka619er

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Sorry if this is a VIN but I couldn't find another thread about it.

Anyways, I was under the impression that when someone owns a business they are generally done under a corp or LLC to limit the liability of going after personal property if its a business issue. So this issue had nothing to do with the two parties as it clearly states they weren't there. So how are they then the ones being sued instead of the business?

If this is common practice then whats the point of an LLC?


https://www.yahoo.com/sports/tiger-...dence-in-sons-accidental-death-191049871.html

Shortly after an intoxicated Nicholas Immesberger crashed his car and died, an attorney for Immesberger’s family alleges someone at Tiger Woods’ restaurant in Jupiter, Florida, deleted videotape evidence of Immesberger drinking at the restaurant’s bar for nearly three hours.

“We have through our investigation uncovered evidence to show that the bar knew what happened, they knew about the crash that night and shortly thereafter that video evidence was destroyed and deleted off of the servers they had there at The Woods," attorney Spencer Kuvin said at a Tuesday news conference. “We absolutely believe that the videotape was destroyed as a direct result of his death and knowledge that he was there that night and they wanted to get rid of that evidence.”

The family of Immesberger, an employee at Woods’ restaurant, The Woods, has filed suit against Woods and his girlfriend Erica Herman, alleging that the restaurant overserved Immesberger immediately prior to his death behind the wheel of his car in December 2018.

Immesberger, a former bartender at the restaurant, died in a car accident that occurred after he had been drinking at The Woods on the afternoon of Dec. 10. His blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was 0.28, more than three times Florida’s legal limit.

Immesberger’s parents have charged in their lawsuit that Woods and Herman, general manager of the restaurant, “not only were aware of [Immesberger’s] alcoholism, but that the employees, staff, and owners of the restaurant knowingly fueled his addiction by regularly over-serving him during and after his work shifts.”

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“He referred to The Woods as his family and as his friends,” Immesberger’s mother Mary Belowsky said. “And when he needed them, they kinda just looked the other way.”

At the news conference, Kuvin laid out the case against Woods, Herman, and The Woods. Like many states, Florida has a so-called “dram shop” law which renders an establishment liable for injury and damages if it “knowingly serves a person habitually addicted to the use of any or all alcoholic beverages.”

Immesberger, according to the family, was drinking at The Woods from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 10. Neither Woods nor Herman was present at the time, and staff at the restaurant allegedly "sent [Immesberger] out to his car" to drive home while intoxicated, according to the lawsuit.

Immesberger’s history of drinking
Kuvin portrayed Immesberger as a habitual drinker in need of help. According to Kuvin, Immesberger’s father, Scott Duchene, had taken him to a program for help “once.” Moreover, Kuvin continued, employees at The Woods were well aware of Immesberger’s problem, but instead of helping him, enabled him. On multiple occasions, according to Kuvin, The Woods employees allowed Immesberger to drink to the point of intoxication. Numerous times his sister, father or girlfriend arrived to take him home. And just nights before the crash, Kuvin alleges, Woods and Herman were at the bar when Immesberger’s sister arrived to take him home because “he could barely walk.”

This, Kuvin contended, was the culture created by Woods and Herman.

“She [Herman] set the tone for the culture in that bar,” Kuvin said. “That culture was drinking and drinking to excess.”

Allegations of destroyed evidence
A key element of the family’s case is the question of whether evidence of The Woods’ employees’ actions was destroyed after Immesberger’s fatal accident.

"One of the most significant issues we have here is the destruction of evidence," Kuvin said at the news conference. "Obviously it shows that somebody knew something had gone wrong and they wanted to get rid of that evidence. We have evidence to show that that videotape, showing Nick at the bar that night after he got off at 3 p.m., drinking for three hours at the bar, was destroyed shortly after the crash had occurred.”

At almost the same time as Immesberger’s attorney held his news conference, Woods, the defending Masters champion, faced the media in New York prior to this week’s PGA Championship. Asked how he felt about the lawsuit, Woods responded, “Well, we're all very sad that Nick passed away. It was a terrible night, a terrible ending, and just — we feel bad for him and his entire family. It's very sad.”

In terms of damages, Kuvin said that "at the end of the day, we're going to let a jury determine what is fair and reasonable for the life of this young man and what these two parents have lost."
 

Singleton

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That restaurant is under a Corp umbrella.
Lawsuit still can be filed to try and get a settlement. IMO, bartender serving drinks that night is liable for what occurred. But not the GM and Owner.
When I was behind the bar my job was at risk, if I over served and a drunk got in trouble and hurt someone.
 

aka619er

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See, I thought I read the same recently about a bartender being arrested for overseeing someone and them getting in an accident.

So your thought is its to get a quick settlement? I also though I spoke to business owners that said their insurance covers lawsuits like this. Personal lawsuits though I wouldn't imagine the same rules apply.
 

WhatExit?

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I didn't read all that you posted but the news report I just heard says Tiger Woods was drinking with the guy at his bar/restaurant
 

Icky

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So a guy gets drunk, gets in his own car, crashes his car, dies and the family is suing?
 

aka619er

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I didn't read all that you posted but the news report I just heard says Tiger Woods was drinking with the guy at his bar/restaurant
This is whats stated in the article
"Neither Woods nor Herman was present at the time, and staff at the restaurant allegedly "sent [Immesberger] out to his car" to drive home while intoxicated, according to the lawsuit."
 

Bobby V

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I didn't read all that you posted but the news report I just heard says Tiger Woods was drinking with the guy at his bar/restaurant
The article I read said they were drinking together. But not the night of the crash. A few days earlier.
 

monkeyswrench

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If I got lit, wrecked and died, I think my parents wouldn't have done anything like this. They would have been sad, but they would have been angry with me, for my actions.

Now, if the video had showed them holding him down, and water boarding him with whiskey, that would be different.
 

TeamGreene

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And further down the rat hole of no personal responsibility we go! It's always someone else's fault.

It's the same as robbing a bank in N. Hollywood proceed to get into a shoot out in the adjoining neighborhood and get shot by the police and die, then your family sues the city for not rendering aid soon enough. Luckily they didn't win and I hope this one fails as well. Fuck that POS and his POS family for not stepping up and taking some ownership of his behavior.
 

monkeyswrench

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Why was an alcoholic working at a bar? His family had soo much concern for his well being.
Hey, I don't trust a skinny chef, do you?

A bartender that has a drinking problem is the best to have as a customer;)
 

RichL

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While I'm sorry to hear the guy passed away, this is just so indicative of today's society. Instead of accepting responsibility for one's own behavior, let's blame someone else and if there's any chance of making money too then let's jump on that bandwagon.

FWIW when I was much younger I spent my share of time behind the bar too.
 

paradise

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The key here is you can name whomever you want in a suit. It doesn't mean it has any legal basis or that you will get anything but you can sue anyone.

I think a simple solution is if you bring a frivolous case or name someone unrelated in a suit and it is deemed frivolous by the courts you should be fined. That would stop a lot of these bullshit cases.
 

Englewood

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Happens all the time. Anytime we get sued (always BS money-grabs by the way), they always name me personally as I am the owner and president. It falls under the corporate umbrella.

Until there is a financial responsibility for a plantiff naming parties not related to a case, it will keep happening. Good thing I have a lawyer in OC who will rip people to shreds and they dont even know what hit em.
 

DaveC

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Standard operating procedure is name everyone in the law suit.

Then you have to pay your lawyer big bucks to get your name removed if one personally name and the business entity is the correct defendant.. The entity stays on the lawsuit and it proceeds.

In the end the lawyers get it all.
 
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530RL

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38 states have Dram Shop Acts where an establishment that serves alcohol to a knowingly intoxicated person is then strictly liable for any torts by that intoxicated person. 43 states have "Social Host Liability" laws where a social host can be held liable if serving an intoxicated person.

More simply, be careful when serving your friends booze at your house if you know they are drunk unless you are going to personally make sure they are in bed sleeping it off, as depending upon what state you live in, you may be liable for anything he/she does after you have served them and they leave.
 

was thatguy

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I’m a little surprised at the responses.
Surely you guys know that ANY time an accident happens due to DUI the first thing that happens is assigning liability to the last place that served them. If there is a big name attached to that establishment it is a matter of procedure to attach that name to the liability suit. Whether it stands or not gets determined later.
Point is this is nothing new at all.
I’d be far more surprised if there was no suit and even more surprised if Woods name wasn’t attached, at least at this stage.
 

was thatguy

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38 states have Dram Shop Acts where an establishment that serves alcohol to a knowingly intoxicated person is then strictly liable for any torts by that intoxicated person. 43 states have "Social Host Liability" laws where a social host can be held liable if serving an intoxicated person.

More simply, be careful when serving your friends booze at your house if you know they are drunk unless you are going to personally make sure they are in bed sleeping it off, as depending upon what state you live in, you may be liable for anything he/she does after you have served them and they leave.

When you’re right you’re right.
Even worse is serving kids...as in 20 year olds.
Family I knew when I was in HS lost everything. They had a graduation party for the senior class. Rich family.
Some kids that weren’t even part of the school showed up and had some beer. They were drunk when they showed up, and were drunk when they got ran off. You can guess what happened.
 
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