Considering A Dram Shop Case Against Sky Peak Bar & Billiards? Here's What You Need To Know
During my more than three decades of legal practice, I have sued hundreds of bad bars for the part they played in accidents that resulted in a wrongful death or injury. When you've seen as many cases involving bars that over-served alcohol as I have, the scope of the issue is painfully clear. Part of my mission is to increase the public's awareness of the subject. To do this, I spend a portion of my time investigating Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission complaint records and reporting what I find here on my website. If you think you may have a dram shop (liquor liability) claim and are interested in learning about how to proceed, please call me at (855) 326-0000.
Sky Peak Bar & Billiards is a sports bar and pool hall located in Sugar Land, Texas. Locals know the bar for offering live DJ sets and free pool from 3-7pm. However, to the TABC, the bar is known more for several allegations of liquor law violations in recent years. Between 2016 and 2018, authorities conducted no fewer than four separate investigations into alcohol service practices at Sky Peak Bar & Billiards.
In my experience, it's very rare for a bar to be involved in a dram shop case without already having a history of complaints with the TABC. That's why I pay close attention when I see an establishment attracting a lot of attention for liquor law violations. The more investigations a bar has had, the greater my concern is that it could one day cause an accident.
Note: Investigations are not evidence that a bar has broken the law. Investigators must have sufficient proof that there was a violation of TABC regulations in order to take legal action. Owing to the nature of this kind of violation, that proof can often be difficult for authorities to find. This article simply aims to relay publicly-available information about complaints made against Sky Peak Bar & Billiards to the TABC.
TABC Investigations of Sky Peak Bar & Billiards Between 2016 and 2018
Sugar Land - 9903 Hwy 6 South Suite 100
Allegations:
On 01/12/2016, a concerned citizen reached out to the TABC, alleging that the bar served alcohol to a patron under the age of 21.
Authorities investigated, but they failed to turn up any evidence of wrongdoing. For most liquor law violations, the TABC requires either video footage of the incident or eyewitness testimony from one of its agents in order to take action. Having neither in this particular instance, TABC agents closed the case on 03/02/2016.
A member of the Sugar Land community contacted the TABC on 08/11/2017, charging that the bar both sold alcohol to an intoxicated patron and permitted the possession of drugs on the premises.
The ensuing investigation was able to produce sufficient proof to corroborate the claim. As a result, the TABC issued a citation for a criminal violation, though it chose not to hand down any punishment in this case for some reason.
On 11/19/2017, a citizen complaint alleged that the bar sold alcohol to a minor, an intoxicated person, and permitted gambling on the premises.
TABC agents subsequently looked into the matter, but were unable to determine the veracity of the allegations due to a lack of video evidence. Thus, on 12/22/2017, they chose to close the case without taking further action.
Another citizen complaint, dated 12/21/2017, claimed that the bar sold alcohol to a minor.
As in the other investigations, TABC agents had no video evidence and thus were not able to take any action. On 01/23/2018, the case came to an end.
Texas Law Says Accident Victims Can Sue Bad Bars
If you would like to learn more about Texas dram shop law (i.e. lawsuits against bars who play a role in injurious or fatal accidents), please visit our Texas Dram Shop Law Info Page.
