Our trial attorneys of Aldous Law have recently concluded a client’s wrongful death lawsuit with a $25 million jury verdict against the defendant. The case was filed against a Dallas nightclub — Beamers Private Club — that over served alcoholic beverages to a Dallas Cowboys football star, who would later leave the bar and get into a fatal drunk driving accident. Josh Brent was the driver of the vehicle and another Dallas Cowboys footballer Jerry Brown, who died in the crash, rode as the passenger.
Details of the Fatal Accident Wrongful Death Lawsuit
In 2012, Josh Brent, Jerry Brown, and others went to Beamers Private Club in Dallas for a party in the Privae Lounge, the club’s VIP section. Throughout the night, Beamers consistently provided bottle service to the group because the football stars were ordering expensive items. Even though authorities would later determine Brent had 14 or more alcoholic beverages in the night, the bottle service continued well beyond the point of excess.
When Brent left the nightclub, he had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of at least 0.16. Again, Beamer employees made no effort to prevent him from getting behind the wheel of his vehicle. Shortly after departing, he crashed his vehicle, causing serious damages and the death of Brown.
Attorney Charla Aldous of Aldous Law took the subsequent wrongful death case to trial for the plaintiffs. Our law firm was assisted by the co-counsel of Josh Bennett of Carter Arnett PLLC. We cited Texas’ dram shop laws in the Alcoholic Beverage Code to show the nightclub had an inherent responsibility to not serve alcohol to overly intoxicated patrons who could become a danger to themselves or others.
After the trial, jurors took five hours to deliberate the evidence and determine liability for the drunk driving accident. The jury found both Beamers Private Club and Brent to be 48% responsible each for the fatal car accident. The remaining 4% of responsibility was placed upon the late Brown, who may have encouraged Brent to drink and drive. Beamers Private Club is currently shuttered and in the middle of a bankruptcy filing, which could complicate the matter of readily paying the jury verdict. It is not known at this time if the defendant intends to appeal.
(For more information about this case result, you can click here to view a press release posted on Cision® PR Newswire. You can also look up case information in public legal catalogues by searching for Jerry Brown, Sr. et al. v Beamers Private Club et al. in the 191st Judicial District Court in Dallas County, Cause No. DC-13-13245.)
Leading Dallas Trial Attorneys Taking Tough Cases
Aldous Law was founded on the principle that clients deserve honest, compassionate, and effective representation for their case, no matter its details or complications. We proudly stand by our clients through some of the most difficult case types, from medical malpractice to product liability claims, and wrongful death lawsuits. If you have been injured through the negligence of another party and do not know where to turn for help, know that we are always standing by.
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