Texas Jury Hands Down $301B Settlement in Suit Against Bar

A Texas jury has awarded an eye-popping settlement in a $301 billion lawsuit against a Corpus Christi bar. The lawsuit was brought forward by the family of a woman and her 16-year-old daughter, both of whom were killed by a drunk driver who was served alcohol at the bar.

The settlement serves as a symbolic verdict as the family does not expect to actually receive the payment, according to their lawyers. The Corpus Christi bar, Beer Belly's Sports Bar, has since gone out of business in 2019. As part of the verdict, Beer Belly’s and its owners were ordered to pay $1.04 billion in “actual damages” and another $300 billion in “exemplary damages.”

The lawsuit stems from a 2017 incident in which Beer Belly’s Sports Bar is accused of overserving alcohol to 29-year-old Joshua Delbosque by at least eleven alcoholic drinks. Delbosque left the bar with a blood alcohol concentration of .263. The state’s legal alcohol limit is 0.08.

After leaving the bar, Delbosque ran a red light at 91 MPH and crashed into a vehicle killing 59-year-old Tamra Kay Kindred and her 16-year-old granddaughter Aujuni Tamay Anderson. Kindred and Anderson were on their way home after Kindred picked up her granddaughter from her place of work at a local pizza shop.

Following the incident, Kindred's daughters Elizabeth Anderson and Jennifer Kindred filed a civil suit alleging that the bar was responsible for serving “dangerous amounts of alcohol.” They claimed that the bar’s negligence led to the death of their loved ones.

Kindred’s daughters along with their lawyers contend that they hope the verdict will change how people view drunk driving. After the verdict, the family met with the jurors. “We spoke to them afterward and they wanted to send a message, a strong message, that drunk driving and bars and bartenders and servers — it’s a problem that needs to be fixed," John Flood, the attorney for the family said. "And they hope that this will make a difference in the lives of other people."

Flood adds, “I see a wonderful message from this jury that human lives are more valuable than anything else in this world. And that we can’t stop until we start getting people to behave more responsibly and to have respect for that human life.”

Jennifer Kindred shared with local news outlet, Kris 6 News, “Our mom always said 'Where there’s a will, there’s a way.' And this is her will, through us and everything that she taught us. And it’s her message — it’s their message. They’re here guiding us.”

The family’s legal team shared of the symbolic verdict, "The family hopes and prays that the jury’s verdict persuades bar owners, bartenders and other alcohol servers that they must follow Texas law and never serve alcohol to an already intoxicated person."