Verdictly
Verdict-Plaintiff
Dallas County • 2018

Dallas County Jury Awards $25 Million in Fatal Dram Shop Crash

A nightclub was sued after a customer they over-served caused a fatal crash. The customer had been drinking heavily at the club before driving at a high speed and crashing. The crash resulted in the death of a passenger. The jury found both the driver and the club liable for the crash.

Case Information Updated: October 2025

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Wrongful Death
Highway
Dram Shop

Case Outcome

Outcome
Verdict-Plaintiff
Amount
$25,000,000
County
Dallas County, TX
Resolved
2018

Injury & Accident Details

Injury Type
Wrongful Death
Accident Type
Highway
Case Type
Dram Shop, Wrongful death, Vehicle complaints

Case Overview

A fatal car crash in 2012, which killed a passenger, led to a dram shop lawsuit against a Dallas, Texas, nightclub. The incident occurred shortly after an intoxicated driver, a customer of Beamers Private Club, left the establishment. The driver's Mercedes S60 was traveling 110 mph in a 45 mph zone on an Irving, Texas, highway when it flipped over. The passenger died from injuries sustained in the crash. The driver was later convicted of intoxication manslaughter. Following the crash, the defendant club closed and entered bankruptcy proceedings.

The plaintiff, representing the deceased passenger's estate, filed suit in Dallas County, asserting a dram shop claim against Beamers Private Club. The plaintiff alleged the club had served excessive alcohol to the driver, leading to his severe intoxication, and sought damages for wrongful death. The defendant club disputed liability for the incident.

During the trial, the plaintiff presented evidence that the club had served the driver at least 14 standard alcoholic beverages via "bottle service" and then permitted him to leave while highly intoxicated. Evidence indicated the driver's blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit at the time of the fatal collision.

After five hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict, finding the intoxicated driver 48 percent liable for the crash and the defendant club 48 percent liable. The deceased passenger was found 4 percent at fault. The jury awarded $25 million in damages.

VerdictlyTM Score

67
/100
Reasonably Fair

This outcome is within expected ranges

This score is calculated by analyzing injury type, accident details, geographic location, temporal trends, and comparing against 2,000+ similar cases in our database.

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