Texas sports bar is ordered to pay $300BILLION to family of grandmother and her 16-year-old granddaughter killed by drunk driver who was served a 'dangerous amount of alcohol' at the establishment
A Texas sports bar has been ordered to pay a settlement of more than $300billion to the family of a grandmother and her 16-year-old granddaughter who were killed by an alleged drunken driver.
Tamra Kindred, 59, and her granddaughter Aujuni Anderson were both killed in 2017 when Joshua Delbosque ran a red light at 91mph and ploughed into them in his Dodge Charger.
The alleged drunken driver Delbosque, 29, also died in the collision.
Kindred's daughters brought a lawsuit against the now-closed Beer Belly's Sports Bar in Corpus Christi, alleging the bar served Delbosque a 'dangerous amount of alcohol'.
They have been awarded a $301billion settlement but the women do not expect to receive any of the money, as it is geared towards raising awareness about drink-driving and cautioning venues not to over-serve their customers.
Tamra Kindred, 59, and her granddaughter Aujuni Anderson (both pictured) were killed in 2017 when Joshua Delbosque ran a red light at 91mph and ploughed into them in his Dodge Charger
The alleged drunken driver Delbosque (pictured), 29, also died in the collision. Delbosque had been served at least 11 drinks, a lawyer for the plaintiffs claimed
In the suit, they alleged that despite becoming intoxicated, Delbosque was still able to open a second tab and was served several more alcoholic drinks, the Houston Chronicle reported.
When he left the sports bar, Delbosque had been served at least 11 drinks, a lawyer for the plaintiffs claimed.
He had a 0.263 blood alcohol content, which is three times over Texas's legal driving limit of 0.08, and is usually enough to make most people lose consciousness, an expert said.
Moments after leaving the venue, the motorist went through a red light and crashed into a car that was being driven by Kindred, killing her and Anderson, who was a high school sophomore.
Kindred was on her way from picking up her granddaughter from her job at Cici's Pizza at the time of the fatal crash, according to ABC15.
Now, a Nueces County jury has awarded a staggering $301billion to Kindred's daughters Jennifer Kindred and Elizabeth Anderson on Tuesday.
Kindred's daughters brought a lawsuit against the now-closed Beer Belly's Sports Bar (pictured) in Corpus Christi, alleging they served Delbosque a 'dangerous amount of alcohol'
When he crashed into Kindred's car (pictured: scene of the crash) he had a 0.263 blood alcohol content, which is three times over Texas's legal driving limit of 0.08
Kindred was on her way from picking up her granddaughter (pictured) from her job at Cici's Pizza at the time of the fatal crash
'Beer Belly's was trading money for the safety of their patrons and the public by continuing to serve an intoxicated customer,' said the family's attorney John Flood in a release.
Beer Belly's, which reportedly closed in 2019, and its owner were ordered to pay them $1.04billion in 'actual damages' and another $300billion in 'exemplary damages,' court records show.
But the family's legal team said the women don't expect to receive a single dollar of the record settlement, with the amount being geared towards raising awareness about drink-driving and to caution venues not to over-serve their customers.
Mr Flood's release added: 'The purpose of the civil litigation is to remind the community, the State, and the Nation, of the horrific costs of drunk driving and the bars that irresponsibly over-serve their customers.
'The family hopes and prays that the jury's verdict persuades bar owners, bartenders, and other alcohol servers that they must follow Texas law and never serve alcohol to an already intoxicated person.'
Mr Flood said 'the jury sent a very loud message that if alcohol providers trade money for the safety of their patrons and the public, there must be accountability'.
It is illegal in Texas to serve alcohol to people who are already visibly drunk, but local law enforcement has reportedly faced serious challenges when attempting to enforce the laws against businesses.
It is believed that the record award will help highlight the problem.
A lawyer for Beer Belly's and its owner, Jovani Castillo, did not immediately respond for comment.
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