Over $2 Million Settlement in Dram Shop Personal Injury Case
The Haggard Firm’s Adam Finkel and Michael Haggard secured a $2 million settlement in a dram shop liability case. Finkel and Haggard, along with co-counsel Gregory P. Lee of Texas, successfully held two negligent bars accountable after they served alcohol to underage patrons, leading to a devastating crash. (click here to learn more about co-counseling with The Haggard Law Firm) What Happened? In the summer of 2021, 17-year-old Brody Perque joined a friend’s family on a trip to Orlando, Florida. On the night of August 13, 2021, Brody and his friend borrowed a rental car and attempted to enter downtown Orlando bars using fake IDs. Despite being visibly underage, they were allowed into Saddle Up All American Bar, where they were served alcohol with little to no age verification. Later, they moved across the street to Aero Rooftop Bar & Lounge, where staff briefly checked their out-of-state IDs, scanned them, and let them in.The two continued drinking before leaving and getting back into the rental car. Tragically, they crashed. Brody was ejected through the windshield and pinned beneath the car’s scalding-hot exhaust pipe, suffering severe burn injuries. Legal Action: Holding Bars Accountable for Overserving Minors The personal injury lawyers at The Haggard Firm filed a personal injury lawsuit sounding in dram shop liability against Saddle Up All American Bar and Aero Rooftop Bar & Lounge. The case argued that both establishments: The Defense’s Argument The defendant bars claimed that Brody and his friend presented fake IDs, and Aero Rooftop even successfully scanned the IDs. However, through extensive investigation,