At Grossman Law Offices, we often meet families in the middle of the worst moment of their lives. When Cailyn P. reached out to us, she and her family were grieving the unimaginable—the sudden loss of her father after he was overserved at a bar in a small Texas town and later died from injuries sustained in a crash.
Facts
Location
East Texas
What happened?
Jason P. was negligently overserved at an east Texas bar, leading to an accident that caused his death.
Type of Case
1st Party Dram Shop / Wrongful Death
Resolution
A pre-trial settlement that was acceptable to both parties.
Cailyn first learned about her father's accident when a police officer and hospital chaplain showed up at her door. “My sister had come into my room to tell me to get changed into regular clothes because we had to go up to the hospital and that he was in critical condition.” He passed away days later from a fatal brain injury.
“I looked into the firm and was like, oh, this is very, very similar to what happened with my father. I think I spent about two hours on the phone with Cory Carlson…”
That phone call changed everything.
I think I spent about two hours on the phone with Cory Carlson
I looked into the firm and was like, oh, this is very, very similar to what happened with my father. I think I spent about two hours on the phone with Cory Carlson and ultimately my entire family had a sit down conversation decided, 'Is this something that we want to go through to go with?' And we all made the decision to kind of proceed with it.
From the start, we knew how personal this case was. We also knew that navigating a wrongful death case involving dram shop liability would be complex—both legally and emotionally. “To me, it felt like he didn’t just look at this as just another case,” Cailyn said.
“He acknowledged that my dad was a person… he said him by name. He wasn’t just like, oh, your late father. Whenever he addressed him, he always addressed him as Jason.”
It felt like he didn't just look at this as just another case.
He acknowledged that my dad was a person. He wasn't just like, oh, your late father. Whenever he addressed him, he always addressed him as Jason and he was very, very thorough throughout the entire process. Even just from the first phone call, he explained everything in tremendous detail and was very, very empathetic to everything that we were going through. It was like he was feeling the emotions with us and that's something I really admire.
Cailyn and her family had never been involved in any legal matters before. “We were kind of clueless throughout the entire process,” she shared. “Even just from the first phone call, [Cory] explained everything in tremendous detail and was very, very empathetic to everything that we were going through.”
As the case progressed, Cailyn recalled specific moments that made her confident they’d made the right decision. “Whenever we went in for our depositions… tensions were high. Everybody in the room except for Cory and Keith were stressed… And he was like, ‘Oh, I have kids. It’s not a care in the world. You’re good.’ That in itself was something that was like, okay, these are really good guys.”
He said that he wasn't the nicest when it came to the opposing side of the lawsuit...
He mentioned being a shark, which we appreciated because it's like you're fighting for this person who had passed away from something that never really should have happened in the first place. And so it made us feel extremely seen – like my dad was being seen and that he was being fought for.
Later, during mediation, Cory told the family that he wasn’t going to play nice with the other side. “He mentioned being a shark, which we appreciated,” she said. “Because it's like, you’re fighting for this person who had passed away from something that never really should have happened in the first place… It made us feel like my dad was being seen and that he was being fought for.”
That’s what we aim to do in every case. And when the case resolved, it wasn’t just about a settlement—it was about a family finally feeling that someone had stood up for their father.
“All of us were like, we know that my father's jumping for joy, knowing that someone fought for him and someone took on this case,” Cailyn said. “Even the mediator himself said that this was an extremely hard case and that we had the best. And I can confidently say that they are the best.”
I can confidently say that they are the best.
When everything was finished with the mediation and a settlement happened, all of us were like, we know that my father's jumping for joy, knowing that someone fought for him and someone took on this case, and even the mediator himself said that this was an extremely hard case and that we had the best.
The impact of the case went beyond the courtroom. “My father was the sole provider for our household, and whenever he died, we were all wondering what we were going to do… But Cory had mentioned that even the outcome of my father dying, if something positive can happen in this aspect of things, then I don't want to say it's a win, but it is better than just having him gone.”
Cailyn’s family has been able to remain in the home her father moved them to—a dream he worked hard to make real. “He moved us to Texas for a reason… and he wanted us to stay here. Cory definitely played a big part in helping make sure that that all happens.”
To anyone else in a similar situation, Cailyn offered this:
“Some days it'll feel impossible… but every single second of it is worth it. Especially going through with Grossman Law Offices. They have been nothing but amazing for us.”
She closed by sharing something that stuck with us deeply:
“I had this feeling in my stomach that this wasn't something that we should let go… You're fighting for them, and that's what they would want you to do.”