Do you know what the Florida dram shop law is? In dram shop act cases, bars and restaurants can be held accountable when they serve minors alcohol or serve known alcoholics. Let our Attorney Matthew K. Foster share his personal experience helping a local family in this personal injury case.
“I have the true privilege of representing Mr. J.D. Having moved to Florida for partial retirement, Mr. J.D. was run over from behind by a drunk driver whose blood alcohol was three times the legal limit. The huge multi-state personal injury firm collected the policy limits from the drunk driver and his auto policies without much work. The amounts collected were grossly insufficient to cover the catastrophic injuries to J.D. who became a quadriplegic as a result of the crash.
Several years later, after being turned down by several law firms, J.D. and his wife reached out to me. Although I knew this would be an incredibly difficult task, I agreed to take the case.
Even though the case was considered a long shot, I began “looking under rocks” and searching out witnesses to try to get a just recovery for J.D. and his wife. We discovered the bar had grossly overserved the underage drunk driver. As a dram shop act case, we were able to bring a dram shop action on J.D.’s behalf. As we shared at the start of this article, dram shop laws hold bars and restaurants accountable when they serve minors alcohol or serve known alcoholics.
We filed a lawsuit through the dram shop act exception under Florida law and, after a lengthy legal battle, were able to recover a million dollars on behalf of J.D. from the bar that over-served the underage drunk driver. As a result, J.D. was able to purchase a handicap accessible home so he can live with a much better quality of life.
I love what I do. Let me tell you why. Helping innocent victims like J.D. improve their quality of life is why I love what I do. I am blessed to be able to represent people like J.D. and his wife.”
When there is too much at stake on your case, you need a team of local experts led by attorneys like our own Matt K. Foster to get you the results you need. On dram shop act cases, and all matters, turn to our Tallahassee community firm to help you. Do not wait to contact us today about your needs on your case.