sachmo71
06-24-2004, 09:18 AM
Just something to pass along...
COORS SLIGHT
by Randy Cassingham
Ryan Pisco, 19, was at a party near the state university in Reno, Nev., drinking his favorite beer: Coors. By 2:45 a.m. he was drunk, and left the party. Despite not having a driver's license, he drove away in his girlfriend's car; her mother had given it to her.
He didn't get very far: Pisco hit a traffic light pole at 90 mph and was killed.
Like many producers of alcoholic beverages, Coors not only discourages driving after drinking, it discourages alcohol use by under-aged consumers. The legal drinking age in Nevada is 21.
That's not good enough for Ryan's mother, Jodie Pisco. Two years after the crash, she sued Colorado-based Coors Brewing Co. and its Reno distributor in Washoe District Court.
"Coors sponsors and supports events that are attractive to minors and youthful persons, glorifying a culture of youth, sex and glamour while hiding the dangers of alcohol abuse and addiction," the lawsuit charges. "Coors targets the youth of America with false images of conquest, achievement and success that are reckless, willful and a deliberate disregard for the impact of illegal alcohol consumption by underage youths." The suit seeks unspecified damages, says attorney Ken McKenna, who filed the suit for Jodie Pisco.
"They should be well aware that people under 21 are drinking Coors," McKenna told reporters. "They should be liable for the damage caused by underage drinking."
Yeah, it's silly that a grieving mother sues the Big Bad Corporation with deep pockets, but the suit didn't stop there.
Pisco is also suing her son's girlfriend, Heather Taylor, for allegedly allowing the adult lad to drive off in her car. The suit also names the girl's mother, Janice Taylor, since she gave the car to Heather.
It doesn't stop there, either.
Pisco is also suing Joseph Combs, the owner of the house where the party was held, even though it doesn't allege he was at the party, or even knew about it. Also named in the suit was Jessica Rodriguez, who rented the house from Combs.
Coors didn't take the suit lying down: Nevada law prohibits lawsuits against alcoholic beverage manufacturers in such cases. When Coors threatened McKenna with sanctions for a filing frivolous suit, he dropped Coors as defendants.
Of course, McKenna used the move for publicity purposes, telling a reporter that "After doing some research, we decided that the [Nevada] Supreme Court is unlikely to be inclined politically to overturn the protection for alcohol distributors." McKenna went on to add that he's not the one wanting all the publicity, but rather it was his client, Jodie Pisco, who wanted the suit splashed across the news to help show the dangers of underage drinking, as if her son hadn't already done a great job of that.
Easy! Companies who can afford lawyers to defend against obviously frivolous suits can get out of them. Now, only the grieving girlfriend, her innocent mother, the innocent homeowner and the girl renting the house are on the hook to defend against the mother's wrath. Isn't that great?
But McKenna isn't so sure he wants to go forward against that group, now that Coors' deep pockets are out of the picture. Besides, he says, "The law does give some immunity even to people who serve alcohol." Oh yeah, the law. Darn that that gets in the way.
Coors' lawyers told McKenna that "It is simply wrong to exploit the Pisco family's grief by bringing baseless lawsuits against parties who are neither legally nor morally responsible for Ryan's death." I couldn't have said it better myself.
COORS SLIGHT
by Randy Cassingham
Ryan Pisco, 19, was at a party near the state university in Reno, Nev., drinking his favorite beer: Coors. By 2:45 a.m. he was drunk, and left the party. Despite not having a driver's license, he drove away in his girlfriend's car; her mother had given it to her.
He didn't get very far: Pisco hit a traffic light pole at 90 mph and was killed.
Like many producers of alcoholic beverages, Coors not only discourages driving after drinking, it discourages alcohol use by under-aged consumers. The legal drinking age in Nevada is 21.
That's not good enough for Ryan's mother, Jodie Pisco. Two years after the crash, she sued Colorado-based Coors Brewing Co. and its Reno distributor in Washoe District Court.
"Coors sponsors and supports events that are attractive to minors and youthful persons, glorifying a culture of youth, sex and glamour while hiding the dangers of alcohol abuse and addiction," the lawsuit charges. "Coors targets the youth of America with false images of conquest, achievement and success that are reckless, willful and a deliberate disregard for the impact of illegal alcohol consumption by underage youths." The suit seeks unspecified damages, says attorney Ken McKenna, who filed the suit for Jodie Pisco.
"They should be well aware that people under 21 are drinking Coors," McKenna told reporters. "They should be liable for the damage caused by underage drinking."
Yeah, it's silly that a grieving mother sues the Big Bad Corporation with deep pockets, but the suit didn't stop there.
Pisco is also suing her son's girlfriend, Heather Taylor, for allegedly allowing the adult lad to drive off in her car. The suit also names the girl's mother, Janice Taylor, since she gave the car to Heather.
It doesn't stop there, either.
Pisco is also suing Joseph Combs, the owner of the house where the party was held, even though it doesn't allege he was at the party, or even knew about it. Also named in the suit was Jessica Rodriguez, who rented the house from Combs.
Coors didn't take the suit lying down: Nevada law prohibits lawsuits against alcoholic beverage manufacturers in such cases. When Coors threatened McKenna with sanctions for a filing frivolous suit, he dropped Coors as defendants.
Of course, McKenna used the move for publicity purposes, telling a reporter that "After doing some research, we decided that the [Nevada] Supreme Court is unlikely to be inclined politically to overturn the protection for alcohol distributors." McKenna went on to add that he's not the one wanting all the publicity, but rather it was his client, Jodie Pisco, who wanted the suit splashed across the news to help show the dangers of underage drinking, as if her son hadn't already done a great job of that.
Easy! Companies who can afford lawyers to defend against obviously frivolous suits can get out of them. Now, only the grieving girlfriend, her innocent mother, the innocent homeowner and the girl renting the house are on the hook to defend against the mother's wrath. Isn't that great?
But McKenna isn't so sure he wants to go forward against that group, now that Coors' deep pockets are out of the picture. Besides, he says, "The law does give some immunity even to people who serve alcohol." Oh yeah, the law. Darn that that gets in the way.
Coors' lawyers told McKenna that "It is simply wrong to exploit the Pisco family's grief by bringing baseless lawsuits against parties who are neither legally nor morally responsible for Ryan's death." I couldn't have said it better myself.