Considering A Dram Shop Case Against Tropicana Sports Bar? Here's What You Need To Know
My firm has handled more liquor liability (dram shop) cases than anyone else in Texas. With over 30 years of practice behind me, 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.
Tropicana Sports Bar is located in San Antonio, Texas. In recent years, it has attracted a significant 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's 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 contribute to 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 Tropicana Sports Bar for possible criminal or administrative violations.
TABC Investigations of Tropicana Sports Bar Between 2015 and 2019
San Antonio - 1515 S Gevers
Allegations:
On 03/31/2015, a concerned citizen reached out to the TABC and alleged the bar sold alcohol to both a minor and an intoxicated person.
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 investigation, authorities decided to conclude their efforts on 04/08/2015.
A member of the San Antonio community reached out to the TABC on 09/02/2015, claiming that the bar permitted the possession of drugs on the premises and sold alcohol to a patron who was already intoxicated.
TABC agents looked into the matter, but failed to uncover any hard proof of a violation. Unable to take any further action, authorities closed the case on 10/04/2015.
An anonymous source contacted the TABC on 09/10/2016, alleging that a breach of the peace (typically a fight) occurred, and that the bar failed to report it (a violation in itself).
After a month and a half of investigation, the TABC was not successful at locating any evidence to back up the claims. With no other course of action available, authorities closed the case on 10/26/2016.
The next citizen complaint came on 12/08/2017, accusing the bar of selling alcohol to a minor and during prohibited hours.
An investigation ensued, but it was not able to produce any evidence of wrongdoing, leading TABC agents to close the case on 02/23/2018.
On 06/05/2019, the TABC received another citizen complaint that claimed the bar sold alcohol to a minor.
As stated in the first investigation summary, the TABC relies heavily on video footage to back up most claims of wrongdoing. Since authorities had no such evidence in this investigation, they could not take any action. Consequently, they wrapped up their work on 08/06/2019.
Law enforcement contacted the TABC on 08/13/2019, alleging a breach of the peace took place and the bar failed to report it.
Due to a lack of video evidence, authorities could not determine the veracity of the allegations. As a result, the case came to a close on 09/24/2019.
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.
