Ramsey County / Widowed deputy sues driver, bar

This girl should have been locked in a secure facility long before she hit the deputys' car. Sadly this resulted in loss of life. I hope now, that the courts see that she has a real problem. I'm not sure what the Lopez family will ever see out of this lawsuit, but I hope it will bring them some closure.

A cop suing someone......Will the legal system allow it?

its not right to sue the bar sometimes its very ahrd to tell if someone is to drunk to drive , plus maybe she drank after she left the bar . everyone allways tries to sue the poor bar owner leave them be its tough enough for them after the smoking ban

Oh, the poor little bar owner. How could they tell the woman wobbling around the bar, slurring her speech and loudly laughing at everything is drunk. I mean, gosh, they'd just served her 10 drinks in the last two hours. She might not be drunk yet.(This is sarcasm.)

The law requires the bar to ensure their employees don't over-serve their customers. The bar violated the law -- they have to take the consequences.

Has there been any consideration to suing the county as well? It seems as if they are at fault for allowing this very dangerous policy of allowing civilians to ride along during official business.

It shouldn't be solely the bar to monitor everyone.
The person may well be able to walk out, as time accrues the alcohol took full effect.

The city should have officers in place to monitor possible violations before they take place. Not after they get on the road 5 miles away.

You can easily tell if a person is not all there stumbling into their vehicle.

Maybe, as you enter the bar, you put your keys in the slot at the bar.
If you can comprehend the flashed code to get your keys, off you go.

Whatever happened to 'personal' responsibility? The law is a 'bad' law as it replaces personal responsibility with financial liability that opens the door for lawyers to make money at everybody's expense. The problem is the woman's behavior an nothing else. Also, it is irresponsible for a police officer to take his spouse with him into high risk situations on an ongoing basis. I did a ride along with a State Trooper decades ago and the risks are very real. If the Police Dept allows this as more than a rare exception, they should be the ones getting sued, not the bar. She had no business being in the taxpayer funded vehicle more than once in a great while unless she was under contract with the Police Department or other agency. Sue the drunk driver, take her license, send her to jail, but not the bar.

Furthermore, had the Republicans not cut educational spending in the 1980's, this poor girl might have got the education she needed to stay off the road when she's had too much to drink.

This girl should sue the Republican Party for cutting educational programs that stunted her cognitive ability to determine right from wrong!

I am all with you on that one John! Well said.

She should have not been in the troopers car!
Look at all them police cruisers that get hit by
people who pay attention to the scene instead of the road. To risky.

Don't blame the bar owner. Many people have different tolerant levels to alcohol. She may have seemed perfectly fine at the time. Who's to say the alcohol in her stomach didn't take effect until later, and raised her blood alcohol levels after the fact?

And where did it say "the woman wobbling around the bar, slurring her speech and loudly laughing at everything is drunk?" Were you there?
It only stated she was "obviously intoxicated", but what that might mean to you mean something different to others.

Lock her up, take away her lic. she was the one responsible for putting them keys into the ignition and driving away not the bar owner!

Suing the bar owner Gimme a break!

Mrs R wrote:

Furthermore, had the Republicans not cut educational spending in the 1980's, this poor girl might have got the education she needed to stay off the road when she's had too much to drink.
This girl should sue the Republican Party for cutting educational programs that stunted her cognitive ability to determine right from wrong!

You are a one-trick pony.

Mrs R wrote:

...This girl should sue the Republican Party for cutting educational programs that stunted her cognitive ability to determine right from wrong!

Maybe you can make it a class-action lawsuit.

Mr. Wendell, that last comment was not made by me. Some joker is pretending to be me. I was the one who wondered if the county should be sued for allowing dangerous practices such as ridealongs, but I did not make the comment about Republicans. I don't see this as a political issue.

Mrs R wrote:

Furthermore, had the Republicans not cut educational spending in the 1980's, this poor girl might have got the education she needed to stay off the road when she's had too much to drink.
This girl should sue the Republican Party for cutting educational programs that stunted her cognitive ability to determine right from wrong!

Go back to bed. or WAKE UP!! you always have something dumb to say...

MIN3, some joker is trying to impersonate me.....(Let me guess. A frustrated white male? How original.)

Mrs R wrote:

Has there been any consideration to suing the county as well? It seems as if they are at fault for allowing this very dangerous policy of allowing civilians to ride along during official business.

I did NOT post this comment either. This is some joker claiming to be me too.

Why does everyone want to be me???!!!

The drunk driver is the one who is being sued and the bar. She poured the drinks down her own throat the bar was doing their business. It should not be where our officers are putting their lives at risk just by being out there in a police cruiser. Doens't anyone else think that there is something wrong with that statment? What if the cop and his wife were in their personal vehicle, that would make it okay?

Lock Rhodes up. Time and time again, she has proven that she can't take care of herself, and now her inability to live within legal boundaries has gone and killed someone. Poor thing, sure, but deadly one, too.

Joker - get over yourself. Yeah, Mrs R is a nut, but why jump in the jar with her?

John - St Paul wrote:

Whatever happened to 'personal' responsibility? The law is a 'bad' law as it replaces personal responsibility with financial liability that opens the door for lawyers to make money at everybody's expense. The problem is the woman's behavior an nothing else. Also, it is irresponsible for a police officer to take his spouse with him into high risk situations on an ongoing basis. I did a ride along with a State Trooper decades ago and the risks are very real. If the Police Dept allows this as more than a rare exception, they should be the ones getting sued, not the bar. She had no business being in the taxpayer funded vehicle more than once in a great while unless she was under contract with the Police Department or other agency. Sue the drunk driver, take her license, send her to jail, but not the bar.

John I agree with all you said but would like to also add the woman that hit the cop car died in the accident. Isn't that punishment enough? Should her family be liable for her irresponsible behavior? Everyone wants to sue the bar owners but really I do think the police department should have to pick up this ticket.

OOPS.. Never mind. I got that case mixed up with another that the driver died. Sorry

If a person drinks and drives they should be held accoutable for their actions. She probably does not have enough insurance coverage, so therefore the bar is the next victim. Bars by state law do have to be able to cut a person off if they know that they have had to much to drink, especially if they have been serving the person all night. Give em a break, after all it was New Years Eve and everyone who likes to drink were out at there favorite bar. Duh. Deepest sympathy to the officer, but during the holidays spouses should not be allowed to go for a ride a long. I say the County is partly responsible for the death of the spouse also. May she rest in peace and the family find some kind of closure in all of this. Good luck with getting any more money than they want. It still wont bring Mrs.Lopez back.