Considering A Dram Shop Case Against Wetmore City Limits? Here's What You Need To Know
I've been suing irresponsible bars for over-serving alcohol for 30 years. My experience handling hundreds of cases has repeatedly shown me just how many bars fail to follow alcohol service regulations, as well as the tragedies that all too often result. While people might see or hear about a drunk driving accident from time to time, they don't tend to hear about the role that reckless bars play in those accidents. In order to call more attention to this issue, I dedicate a portion of my time to reviewing the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission's complaint records 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, don't hesitate to call me at (855) 326-0000.
Wetmore City Limits is a cocktail bar 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 five investigations into alcohol service practices at Wetmore City Limits.
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, 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 Wetmore City Limits for possible criminal or administrative violations.
TABC Investigations of Wetmore City Limits Between 2015 and 2019
San Antonio - 12329 Wetmore Road
Allegations:
On 02/19/2015, the TABC received a complaint from a concerned citizen, alleging staff was drinking on the job and sold alcohol to an intoxicated person. The first 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 itself is drinking, its ability to judge when to cut off service is impaired.
TABC agents 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, investigators had neither, resulting in their decision to close the case on 04/09/2015.
A citizen complaint on 06/18/2015 alleged that a breach of the peace (typically a fight) occurred and that the bar failed to report it.
Upon investigation, authorities were able to determine that, in addition to failing to report a breach of the peace, staff was drinking on the job as well. After handing down unspecified penalties for the two administrative violations, the TABC shut the case on 08/13/2015.
A member of the San Antonio community reached out to the TABC on 03/12/2016, alleging that the bar sold alcohol to a patron who was already drunk.
The investigation that followed was not successful at turning up any hard evidence of a violation. As a result, authorities could not take any further action and thus decided to close the case on 03/16/2016.
On 02/24/2018, a citizen complaint alleging a breach of the peace brought the TABC back to investigate once again.
As mentioned in a previous investigation summary, the TABC relies heavily on video footage to determine the veracity of most claims of wrongdoing. Since investigators had none on this occasion, they could not take any action. On 04/27/2018, they concluded their efforts and closed the case.
A citizen complaint, dated 03/19/2019, accused the bar of selling alcohol to a minor.
After over a month and a half of investigation, authorities were still unable to locate any proof of a criminal or administrative violation. With no other course of action available, the TABC closed the case on 05/09/2019.
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.
