Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog
The brother of a Central Florida man killed in a DUI accident is suing two bars and their employees for serving alcohol to a man who was known to be habitually addicted – the same man who after leaving those establishments got behind a wheel drunk and killed his brother.
The claim is based on Florida’s dram shop law, which is codified in F.S. 768.125. Florida’s dram shop liability law is less favorable to plaintiffs than statutes in other states, but it does allow compensation under a certain set of circumstances. Although there are some states in which bars, restaurants and other places that serve alcohol can be liable just for serving to someone who appears to be intoxicated, Florida only allows liability in DUI cases where:
- The driver was served alcohol despite being under the age of 21;
- The driver was known to be habitually addicted to alcohol.
Both scenarios of course assume that the injury or damage was caused by or resulted from the intoxication of such a minor or person. Continue reading →