Brookline Pub Sued Again Over Drunk Driving Fatality

BROOKLINE, PA - The Brookline Pub is being sued by the family of a man killed in 2014 by a drunken driver that the tavern served before the fatal incident occurred.

The family of the victim, Michael Conroy, initially sued LADA Inc., the pub’s corporate name, in 2015. A lawsuit filed Friday alleges the pub’s operators have transferred the establishment’s liquor license to avoid any financial liability, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Conroy, 25, died in February 2014 while walking home from the pub. He was on the sidewalk along Pioneer Avenue when he was struck by Michael Rafaloski, who also was drinking at the pub that night. Rafaloski pleaded guilty to charges in connection with Conroy’s death and was sentenced to 2.5-to-4.5 years in prison and 10 years of probation.

The Conroy family’s initial lawsuit claimed negligence and wrongful death because the Brookline Pub allegedly served Rafaloski when he was visibly intoxicated.

The new lawsuit claims LADA Inc. sold its liquor license for little or no consideration to 734 Bar LLC to escape any potential financial liability from the first lawsuit. Leo Hughes, one of LADA’s operators, owns 49 percent of 734 Bar LLC, the lawsuit alleges.

Photo via Google Maps.

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