Tiger Woods Sued After Employee at Restaurant Allegedly Drinks at Work and Dies in Drunk Driving Crash
Tiger Woods is being sued after a bartender from his restaurant in Florida died in a drunk driving accident following a night of heavy drinking.
According to the lawsuit filed by the family in Palm Beach, Nicholas Immesberger finished his shift at The Woods in Jupiter on December 10, 2018, but decided to stay a while and indulge in a few drinks, TMZ and WPTV reported.
He was allegedly served alcohol to the point of “severe intoxication,” according to the suit.
A few hours later, at around 6 pm., Immesberger headed home, but got into a fatal car crash on the way. His blood alcohol level was a .256, which is more than three times the legal limit, the lawsuit states. Immesberger was also not wearing a seatbelt, The Palm Beach Post reported.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 24.
Immesberger’s parents are blaming Woods, 43, and his girlfriend Erica Herman, who is the restaurant’s general manager, claiming the couple knew Immesberger battled alcoholism, according to the lawsuit.
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The family says Woods is being sued directly as he “was directly responsible for ensuring that his employees and management … were not over-serving its employees/customers,” according to the lawsuit, TMZ reported.
The family is demanding they be compensated for medical and funeral expenses.
According to The Palm Beach Post, Immesberger was a local football star. He played running back at Berean, on Okeechobee Boulevard and also played fullback in 2013 at Bridgewater College in western Virginia.
The family’s attorney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
A representative for Woods’ did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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News of the lawsuit comes just days after President Donald Trump awarded the legendary golfer, who recently secured his fifth Masters Tournament win, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The medal — which is the nation’s highest civilian honor — is given to people who show “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors,” according to the White House.
In his speech, Trump, 72, commended Woods for his talents on and off the green — something he could personally attest to.
The pair have been friends for quite some time (long before Trump took the Oath of Office) meeting first as business partners before continuing their friendship and going golfing together.
Woods is set to compete at the PGA Championship this week at Bethpage Black. It will be his first tour appearance since the Masters.
On May 29, 2017, Woods was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Jupiter. He later pleaded guilty to reckless-driving charges on October 27, 2017, PEOPLE confirmed at the time.