Considering A Dram Shop Case Against Mo's Place? Here's What You Need To Know
Over the last 30 years, I have sued more bars for over-serving alcohol than any other lawyer in Texas. Having handled hundreds of cases, I can attest to just how many bars regularly fail to adhere to alcohol service laws, particularly when it comes to their obligation to refuse service to patrons who are already drunk. While the public might see or hear about a drunk driving accident from time to time, it is much less common for it to hear about the role that irresponsible bars play in those accidents. In order to increase people's awareness of this problem, I dedicate a portion of my time to researching the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission's complaint database and reporting my findings here on my website. If you think you may have a dram shop (liquor liability) claim and have questions about how to proceed, please call me at (855) 326-0000.
Mo's Place is a bar located in Katy, Texas. Locals know it as a live music venue for up-and-coming bands, but in recent years, it has become known to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a number of complaints alleging liquor law violations. From 2016 to 2019, authorities conducted no less than five investigations into alcohol service practices at Mo's Place.
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 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, 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 Mo's Place for possible criminal or administrative violations.
TABC Investigations of Mo's Place
Katy - 21940 Kingsland Boulevard
Allegations:
On 11/07/2016, a staff member filed a complaint with TABC, alleging that the bar sold alcohol to an intoxicated customer.
Authorities looked into the matter and uncovered sufficient evidence to determine that an administrative violation took place. However, for one reason or another, they declined to hand down a penalty. On 12/03/2016, the case concluded.
A concerned citizen lodged a complaint on 12/12/2016 that claimed staff served alcohol to a minor.
The ensuing investigation failed to find proof of wrongdoing. Unable to take further action, authorities decided to close the case on 01/27/2017.
TABC received a third complaint on 07/17/2017, this time from a concerned member of the Katy community who alleged that the bar sold alcohol to a drunk patron.
Agents launched an inquiry that succeeded in locating evidence of an administrative violation. TABC declined to punish the bar, and shortly thereafter, the case came to an end on 08/16/2017.
On 12/10/2018, a citizen complaint alleged that the bar committed two violations: selling alcohol to a minor and selling alcohol to an intoxicated patron.
After spending over two months investigating, authorities were unable to turn up any evidence of wrongdoing. It is worth mentioning that, in most cases, TABC needs either video footage of an incident or eyewitness testimony from one of its agents in order to take legal action. Having neither in this particular instance, agents decided to drop the matter on 02/18/2019.
Yet another complaint from a concerned citizen, placed on 07/01/2019, claimed that staff served alcohol to a customer who was already over the limit.
Once again, authorities had no video evidence and thus could not establish the veracity of the claim. Unable to take further action, the case concluded on 07/25/2019.
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.
