Considering A Dram Shop Case Against Highlander Bar & Grill? Here's What You Need To Know
My firm has handled more dram shop cases than any other in Texas. With 30 years of experience behind me, I have seen countless examples of bars that fail to follow alcohol service regulations and the tragic consequences that can result. This issue is more rampant that people realize, and one of my goals is to bring it to the public's attention. One way I do this is by reviewing Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission complaint records and posting about my findings. If you think you may have a dram shop (liquor liability) claim and want to know how to proceed, please call me at (855) 326-0000.
Highlander Bar & Grill is located in San Antonio, Texas. In recent years, it has managed to attract a substantial amount of attention from the TABC due to allegations of liquor law violations. Between 2015 and 2019, authorities conducted no fewer than six investigations into the bar's alcohol service practices.
In my experience, it is uncommon for a bar without a history of run-ins with the TABC to end up on the hook for contributing to a wrongful death or injury. Virtually every bar I have ever sued was already on the authorities' radar. That's why I pay close attention to bars with several recent complaints against them. The more investigations a bar has had, the greater my concern is that it could one day cause an accident.
Note: Investigations are not proof of wrongdoing. However, if authorities investigate and fail to find evidence of a violation, it doesn't necessarily mean an establishment is innocent, either. The purpose of this article is simply to relay publicly-available information about incidents where the TABC has investigated Highlander Bar & Grill for possible criminal or administrative violations.
TABC Investigations of Highlander Bar & Grill Between 2015 and 2019
San Antonio - 5562 Fredericksburg Road
Allegations:
On 05/31/2015, the TABC received a complaint from a concerned citizen, alleging that the bar sold alcohol to an intoxicated person.
Authorities looked into the matter shortly thereafter. 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. In this particular instance, authorities had neither. As a result, they decided to close the case on 06/27/2015.
A member of the San Antonio community reached out to the TABC on 01/31/2017, alleging that the bar sold alcohol to both a minor and a patron who was already drunk.
As stated in the first investigation summary, the TABC relies heavily on video footage to corroborate most allegations of wrongdoing. Since investigators had no such evidence on this occasion, they could not determine the veracity of the claim, resulting in their decision to close the case on 02/11/2017.
The next citizen complaint came on 01/17/2019, and alleged that the bar permitted a minor to both purchase and consume alcohol.
Due to a lack of video evidence, there was no way for authorities to substantiate the claims. Consequently, they opted to close the case on 02/05/2019.
The TABC received a complaint on 05/09/2019, accusing the bar of selling alcohol to a drunk person and permitting the possession of drugs on the premises.
Upon investigation, authorities were able to determine that both administrative and criminal violations occurred, including public intoxication and the sale of alcohol to a drunk person. After handing down an unspecified penalty, the TABC closed the case on 07/03/2019.
A citizen complaint, dated 10/08/2019, accused the bar of selling alcohol to a minor.
After a month and a half of investigation, authorities were unable to produce any evidence to back up the claim. On 11/22/2019, they concluded their work on the case without any further action.
On 12/05/2019, yet another citizen complaint alleged the bar sold alcohol to a person who was already drunk.
As in the previous case, authorities lacked hard evidence to support the claim, resulting in their decision to abandon the investigation on 03/06/2020.
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.
