Looks Like Spearmint Rhino's Days in Dallas May be Numbered

 

  

DALLAS - A Dallas jury has awarded $10.5 million to the family of a woman who was killed when she was run over outside a topless club in 2011. The woman, 23-year-old Kasey McKenzie, was crushed under the wheels of a ‘monster truck’ driven by Eric Brent Crutchfield, a patron who had been drinking heavily at the Spearmint Rhino Gentlemen’s Club near Walnut Hill Lane and the Stemmons Freeway.
The verdict against the club came in the trial of a civil suit alleging that employees of the Spearmint Rhino continued to serve drinks to Crutchfield over a period three or four hours, “even though it was or should have been apparent … that Crutchfield was intoxicated to the extent that he presented a clear danger to himself and others.” Crutchfield ran over McKenzie in the parking lot of the strip club as he was leaving around 2 a.m. on March 17, 2011. According to the lawsuit, his blood alcohol content was about twice the legal limit. He told investigators that he had no idea he’d hit anyone.
Under the so-called ‘dram shop’ doctrine, bars, restaurants, liquor stores, and other establishments can be held held liable if they serve alcohol to customers who are clearly intoxicated. A spokesperson for The Schmidt Firm said the $10.5 million jury award was believed to be the biggest dram shop verdict in Dallas County in recent history.

There's not many regrets I keep. Among them, not jumping into the hottub scene sooner, not partying with DJ Mbenga, and not getting the midgets to play football at the WWCD shareholders' meeting. Sneaking up that list may soon be my absence at one of our finer adult entertainment establishments. Unless they appeal this monster, $10 mil is gonna make it pretty tough for these broads to keep their doors open, so to speak. Sure, among the topless joints, the Lodge may be the best, the Clubhouse may be the creepiest, and Jaguars may be the most adulterous, but least I can say I've checked them off my list. I'd say it would be downright criminal if I never got the chance to motorboat some of the more legit sets in the game. Chalk this up to the pitfalls of micro-managing a successful business, I guess. Just can't get away like I used to.