Newspaper reports $1.3 million settlement in felony DUI case

“If you lend your car to someone you know has a history of DUI arrests, you could wind up paying out huge damages if that person hits or kills someone while driving your car,” The State Newspaper recently reported in an article discussing a $1.3 million settlement obtained by Richard A. Harpootlian, P.A. on behalf of the parents of Justin A. Timmerman.

Mr. Timmerman was killed last May when a drunk driver speeding through Columbia’s Five Points District struck him while he was walking across the street. Mr. Timmerman was 24 years old. Last November, the Timmermans settled a dram shop lawsuit for $975,000 against the bar that served the driver over $200 worth of alcohol in the hours before the incident.

The $1.3 million settlement reported in the March 25, 2013 edition of The State settled the Timmerman’s claims in two lawsuits: one against the driver and another against the estate of the driver’s father. The second lawsuit alleged that the driver’s father knew that his son had a history of DUI arrests but negligently entrusted his son with the vehicle that hit and killed Justin Timmerman.

The State Newspaper’s full article is available by clicking here.

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