Considering A Dram Shop Case Against Roxy Sports Bar? Here's What You Need To Know
I've sued more reckless bars for failing to adhere to liquor laws than anyone else in the state of Texas. With three decades of experience and hundreds of cases behind me, I have seen just how frequently bars put profit before safety and over-serve alcohol, in spite of their legal obligation to serve responsibly. While people might see or hear of drunk driving accidents from time to time, they don't tend to hear as much about the role that irresponsible bars play in those accidents. In order to raise more awareness of this topic, I spend a portion of my time researching the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission's complaint database and writing about my findings here on my website. If you think you might have a dram shop (liquor liability) claim, don't hesitate to call my office at (855) 326-0000.
Roxy Sports Bar is located in Universal City, Texas. In recent years, it has attracted the attention of the TABC due to allegations of liquor law violations. Between 2017 and 2019, authorities conducted four separate investigations into the bar's alcohol service practices.
In my three decades of legal practice, rarely have I seen bar end up involved in a wrongful death or injury case that didn't have a history of complaints on file with TABC. Almost every bar I've ever sued was already on the authorities radar, so when I see a bar that has been investigated several times over a short period, it raises my concern that it could one day play a part in 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 Roxy Sports Bar for possible criminal or administrative violations.
TABC Investigations of Roxy Sports Bar Between 2017 and 2019
Universal City - 2801 Pat Booker Road
Allegations:
Law enforcement contacted the TABC on 12/19/2017, alleging that a breach of the peace took place which the bar failed to report. Additionally, they claimed that the bar served alcohol to a patron who was already intoxicated.
Even when the source of a complaint is a police officer, for most liquor law violations, the TABC requires either video footage of the incident or eyewitness testimony from one of its agents before it can take action. In this investigation, authorities had neither, which led to their decision to close the case on 02/23/2018.
A second law enforcement complaint came on 06/27/2018, claiming that the bar sold alcohol to a drunk customer.
As mentioned in the previous investigation summary, the TABC relies heavily on video footage to back up most claims of wrongdoing. Since authorities had none in this investigation, they concluded their efforts without further action on 07/26/2018.
Yet another complaint from law enforcement, filed on 02/02/2019, alleged the bar sold alcohol to an intoxicated person.
After over a month of investigation, authorities still could not find any proof of wrongdoing. With no other course of action available, they wrapped up their work on the case on 03/16/2019.
A member of the Universal City community reached out to the TABC on 10/16/2019, claiming that staff was drinking on the job. This type of allegation is more serious than it might appear on the surface. Staff has a legal obligation to stop serving alcohol to patrons who exhibit signs of being dangerously intoxicated. If staff is drinking, its ability to judge when to cut off service is impaired.
TABC agents conducted an inquiry into the matter, but failed to turn up any evidence of a violation. As a result, they decided to shut the case on 01/07/2020.
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.
