The Lafayette lawyer for a Pennsylvania woman whose son was killed last September on U.S. 90 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the owner, manager and insurance company for the Bulldog Pool Hall. Attorney Blake David of the Broussard & David firm filed the suit just after 1 p.m. Tuesday with the 15th Judicial District court in Lafayette on behalf of plaintiff Tracey D. Kulka. Defendants are Shag II, Inc., owned by Shannon Wilkerson, and James Gautreaux, The Bulldog’s manager, along with the as-yet unnamed insurance company for the bar.
The suit alleges that on the night of Sept. 22, 2009, and early morning hours of Sept. 23, the bar, “through its employees, knowingly illegally sold and served Kaine J. Kulka alcoholic beverages repeatedly on its premises until he was intoxicated, even though Kaine J. Kulka had not yet attained the age for the lawful purchase of alcoholic beverages under Louisiana law.”
Kulka was killed at approximately 1:30 a.m. Sept. 23, 2009, on U.S. 90 at Southpark Road when, for an unknown reason, he either jumped out of or fell out of the bed of a pick-up truck and was struck by a passing vehicle. The Pennsylvania native, who was living in Lafayette at the time and working for a Terrebonne Parish offshore company, was 18 years old.
A source close to the case told The INDsider last week that Lafayette Police are pressing the district attorney’s office to let a grand jury review Kulka’s death for possible criminal charges against the owner and/or employee(s) of the Bulldog. Neither police nor prosecutors, however, have been willing to discuss the case. Our source says Kulka and his friends were drinking on a tab opened on Kulka’s credit card.
Reached for comment late Friday, Wilkerson, the bar’s owner, was unable to comment on the allegation that Kulka was running a tab on his credit card; Wilkerson said police investigators confiscated the credit card receipts from the night Kulka was killed and those receipts have not been returned. Wilkerson did, however, say that Kulka had become unruly that night and was compelled by employees to leave the bar around 11 p.m.
... written by Solutions , February 24, 2010 - 06:48 pm
Blame it all on the bar owner. Not on the moron who got drunk and rode in the back of the truck in or around hwy. 90. It sucks that the guy is dead, but he did it to himself. Why isn't she sueing the driver of the truck? Because he probably doesn't have any money.
... written by Littlebig , February 24, 2010 - 10:10 pm
settle. bar is 20% at fault if it sold beer to this minor. kid 80% at fault for being a drunken moron. Damages: kid died instantly (no survival damages) and little meds. Mom's pain and suffering for losing kid is around a million, so bar's insurer liable for $200,000. setttle for that now.
... written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , February 25, 2010 - 02:38 am
AY MORON AND BROTHER OXYMORON, "SOLUTIONS AND LITTLEBIG, I WILL NOT ASK YA, WHO'S YA DADDY. YOU'D HAVE TO RESEARCH FOR THE AMSWER......... ITS A KNOWN FACT, THE BAR WHO ALLOWED THE KID TO REACH THAT LEVEL OF INTOXICATION IS WHOLLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE KID'S ALCOHOLIC-INDUCED BEHAVIOR, """ AND LACK OF SOUND JUDGEMENT, WHICH IN TURN RESULTED IN THE KID'S DEATH........
... written by Owner Downtown , February 25, 2010 - 03:54 am
Typical bullshit case where someones trying to make a dollar..We all know that his buddies didnt have any money and he had a good job so he wanted to be the big guy flashing the credit card...How in the hell will you determine if anyone actually sold him anything..Maybe he got drunk at his apartment.....Its crazy...I think maybe his buddies should be in on this suit for homicide charges they are the ones who were driving....Oh wait Im sorry lets pick on Shannon some more....Typical bullshit...
... written by Solutions , February 25, 2010 - 06:54 pm
Northsidian,
If you did any research you would know that the blue laws in this state don't hold up in civil suits. It all goes back to personal resposibility. So before you go start calling anyone a "bastard," how about you go read a book. Your "known facts" are in fact incorrect. The only way a bar can be wholly responsible is if the bar drove him there, strapped him into a chair and fed him alcohol through an IV. What if the guy drank before he got there? What if he was drinking in the parking lot? What if he ate a bunch of pills? See buddy, you should use your brain BEFORE you open your mouth.
... written by P.A. , October 29, 2010 - 12:28 am
It's not about the money, it's about making sure the establishment doesn't let this happen again. that's obviously not to say that this couldn't happen somewhere else but if it had, bar owner, then maybe you would see the sadness in his death rather than a possible monetary loss to yourself. So , calling him a moron isn't going to help you, he was a great kid. People make mistakes, and unfortunately that night you and/or your employees did play a part in Kaine's death.
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