The family of a 33-year-old man who was stabbed to death by an underage drinker at TGI Fridays received a $40 million verdict against the restaurant operator. The victim, Orlando Jordan, was a dedicated 11-year employee of Wells Fargo bank. The lawsuit is being brought by his parents, Rey and Carmen Jordan. Rey Jordan is a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and community leader in Riverside.
The case is Jordan, et al. v. TGI Fridays, et al., Riverside Superior Court, Case No. RIC 1100955. According to the Riverside Newspaper, as well as the LA Times, On Jan. 24, 2009, Orlando Jordan was at the restaurant with his girlfriend when her son, Michael Derek Castillo, a 20-year-old Moreno Valley man, showed up with a friend, Louis Alex Martinez, a 27-year-old Riverside resident. Castillo and Jordan exchanged words and got into a fight, at which time Jordan was stabbed. Officers arrested Castillo and Martinez. Both men later pleaded guilty to felony assault with a deadly weapon. Both Martinez and Castillo were sentenced to prison.
In the civil case, Jordan’s attorney proved to the jury that Castillo ordered the equivalent of 12 servings of alcohol in 30 minutes. The verdict confirms that the restaurant operator deliberately served alcohol to intoxicated minors in order to increase weekend profits. The family’s allegations were supported by TGI Friday’s head bartender who testified that Briad Group – which operates 68 of the restaurants across 26 states – made a deliberate decision to not card minors in order to increase profits on Fridays and Saturdays. The jury found the restaurant’s operator 55 percent responsible for the January 2009 death and Martinez and Castillo 45 percent responsible.
“This case is about holding corporations responsible for their reckless decisions to value profits over community safety,” Nicholas Rowley, an attorney who represented Jordan’s mother, said in a statement.
The mayhem that may result from the overserving of alcohol, particularly to minors, is never ending. From drunk driving, to altercations, boating accidents, or even sexual assaults, serving, and especially overserving, alcohol never ends up well. As we head into the summer, have a wonderful vacation, but be mindful of the potentially tragic results that can occur from a seemingly harmless decision to provide alcohol to a minor or someone who has already had too much to drink.
Sincerely,
Michael K. Gillis, Esq.
GILLIS & BIKOFSKY, P.C.
1150 Walnut Street
Newton, MA 02461
Phone: 617-244-4300
Fax: 617-964-0862
E-mail: mgillis@gillisandbikofsky.com