Following up on our June 10 blog post about a Florida family claiming Tiger Woods played a role in their bartender son’s death (“Tiger Woods faces wrongful death lawsuit”), the plaintiffs have amended the complaint. They removed the professional golfer from the list of defendants in the wrongful death lawsuit. Wood’s girlfriend, Erica Herman, who is the general manager of The Woods Jupiter remains a defendant, along with the restaurant.
The original lawsuit was filed in May, and it arose from the death of an employee of the restaurant in Jupiter. The man died when he wrecked his vehicle last December after leaving the restaurant in an intoxicated condition. The family alleges their son was served alcohol at the restaurant even though he already had too much to drink.
Reportedly, the man was employed by the restaurant as a bartender. This purportedly occurred despite the fact that he was a known alcoholic. Reportedly, Tiger Woods, as an investor in the restaurant, plays no active role in the management of the business.
Wrongful death is a complicated field of the law, and this case underscores the importance of retaining the services of an experienced personal injury attorney. In Florida, a lawyer can assess the circumstances of the death and determine the party or parties to name as defendants. The success of such a claim depends on the plaintiff’s ability to prove negligence on the part of the defendant/s before the court will consider adjudicating documented claims for monetary damages.
