What You Need to Know If You Are Considering A Dram Shop Case Against House of Blues
My firm has sued more irresponsible alcohol providers over the last thirty years than anyone else in Texas. The hundreds of cases I have taken in that time have shined a light on just how widespread alcohol over-service really is. In the interest of helping the general public see the breadth of this problem, I dedicate a portion of my time to researching the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and posting about my findings here on my website. If you think you might have a dram shop (liquor liability) case and want to know how to proceed, don't hesitate to call me at (855) 326-0000.
Isaac Tigress (a co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe) and Dan Aykroyd founded the original House of Blues together in 1992 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The idea was to create a live music venue to share their love for the musical styles of the American South, including genres like blues, gospel, and jazz. Since its founding, it has grown to include 10 more locations around the country. It is currently owned by Live Nation Entertainment, a company with over $10 billion in annual revenue.
While many Texans are familiar with the House of Blues thanks to having not one, but two of the 11 locations in the nation, they might not be aware of the recent TABC investigations for charges of violating alcohol laws. Each of the two locations has been investigated twice in the last three years.
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 House of Blues to TABC.
TABC Investigations of House of Blues Since 2017
Dallas - 2200 N Lamar Street
Allegations:
On 03/28/2017, a Dallas community member reported this location to the TABC for allegedly selling alcohol to a patron who was already drunk.
Authorities looked into the matter but were not able to corroborate this claim. After six weeks of investigation, they closed the case on 05/16/2017.
Later that year, on 08/03/2017, TABC received another citizen complaint that claimed staff supplied an intoxicated attendee with more alcohol.
TABC followed up with an investigation but found insufficient evidence to cite the bar for a violation. Thus, it concluded its work on 09/30/2017, taking no further action.
Houston - 1204 Caroline Street
This location had two citizen complaints against it in a six month period for allegedly providing alcohol to intoxicated patrons. TABC received the first on 12/06/2017 and the second on 05/24/2018.
After investigating both cases, authorities uncovered no evidence of wrongdoing. Unable to take further action, they ended their efforts on 01/05/2018 and 07/31/2018, respectively.
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.
