The Daily Breeze reported this week that a Silver Lake man has filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit against RA Sushi in Torrance, and its parent company, Benihana, for the death of his wife following a car accident on July 2, 2009.
According to the suit, the sushi restaurant on Carson Street provided alcoholic beverages to Paul Kyu Kim, 20, knowing he was drunk, and allowed him to drive away, even though he showed classic symptoms of intoxication. After he left the restaurant, Kim allegedly drove on the Long Beach Freeway (710 Freeway) at speeds reaching 100 mph, and crashed into the back of a car driven by Drean Handley, 59, of Silver Lake.
Drean suffered a broken spine, broken ribs, major internal injuries and paralysis. She died of her injuries a week after the crash.
Kim was charged with driving under the influence causing injuring, and driving with a 0.08 BAC level or more. He has pleaded not guilty and is currently free on bail awaiting court proceedings in Compton, scheduled for May 18. If convicted, he could receive up to 10 years in prison.
According to the Daily Breeze, "The lawsuit uses RA Sushi's own marketing strategy against itself as a place that caters to young patrons. The lawsuit cites references on the restaurant's Web site that calls it a place "Where Iron Chef meets Girls Gone Wild," and "The perfect place to cut loose with good friends, toss back a few, and enjoy the best damn sushi the ocean has to offer."
Civil Liability For Providing Alcohol to Minors
A dram shop is a legal term that refers to an establishment where alcohol is served, such as a restaurant, bar or tavern. Dram shop laws hold retail establishments accountable for any harm--death, injury, or other damages--caused by an intoxicated patron. In California, dram shop liability is limited to cases involving alcohol sales to intoxicated minors, as is allegedly the case in this wrongful death suit. Laws vary from state to state, but serving alcohol to minors is illegal in all 50 states, and restaurants and bars may be held financially accountable for the consequences.
Source: Daily Breeze
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