Guess MLS should have fined him a little more for his girlie dives. If he gets money out of this, I'm calling for 10K fines for diving next year. You're responsible for how much you drink. Also responsible for getting behind a wheel after drinking. Blaming the establishment you were drinking at is a cop out. The driver lost her life, and it's a very sad story. Move on CD.
Must spread rep. The guy has made a series of dubious decisions since the accident, and it's clear he's just another clown. Hope I never see him in a USA shirt again.
My understanding is that DC is one of the last few jurisdictions that has a "contributory negligence" rule, which provides that if the plaintiff is even 1% at fault, he cannot recover any damages from the defendant. Most other jurisdictions have a "comparative fault" rule, which allows juries to assign percentage fault to different parties and apportion damages on that percentage basis. No one here knows what the bar did or didn't do in continuing to serve the driver alcohol. They may very well have acted irresponsibly. But because DC has a contributory negligence rule, it would seem like an uphill battle for Davies. If DC had a comparative fault rule, he'd have a more viable case depending on the facts of what happened in the bar and the applicable precedential law governing the liability of bars for serving alcohol.
Flash forward two years from now: AP After three days of trial, Charlie Davies, a professional soccer player, and his attorney were on the cusp of winning a $20 million (USD) settlement from beverage maker Red Bull, when the defense attorney for Red Bull presented the jury with a 60 minute video of Davies' on-field antics of intentional falling, flopping and feigning injury. The jury then unanimously found for the defendant and the judge ordered the plaintiff to pay all legal costs for the defense, and referred the case to the district attorney to prosecute for fraud.
How could the southbound lanes be in DC but not the northbound lanes? Wouldn't the northbound lanes, being farther east, be closer to DC? I have noticed that weird quirk in the map, though.
Boy, I'm sure suing one of the league's investor-operators really ups the chance of getting a permanent MLS deal. I'm sure the lawyers will try to get a venue switch to Salt Lake City
Wasn't he sober? I'm personally not going to judge CD too hard for this - I hope it's not something I would do, but it's hard to know what any of us would do in those shoes. But, if he knowingly got into a car and knew she was drunk, he has to live with himself for blaming others for that decision.
This crap pisses me off. Everyone knows from the time you are 8 years old the risks of drinking and driving. If you decide to take that risk you should be prepared to suffer the unfortunate consequences that sometimes go with it. Trying to blame a bar owner for your irresponsible decision is really lame. I hope the lawsuit gets tossed.
Ooh, that's the first I've heard of this, and obviously it's very germane. If you run into verification of this, please post it here! Thanks!
Yes, the northbound lanes are also in DC. I only spoke of the southbound lanes because that's where they were. Obviously it doesn't really matter -- whether it's in DC or not, it's Federal land, and the Park Police have jurisdiction there; DC has no authority to exert. It's just a geographical oddity. Sorta like how Illinois isn't east of the Mississippi.
No kidding. I'd already heard rumors that DC wasn't planning on continuing with the loan deal or buying him from Sochaux; this would seem to sour his staying at all. I just can't imagine the League office being happy. Nor can I imagine any team *anywhere* being excited to sign someone who (as a poster on Goff's blog put it) has a $20 million incentive to look like his soccer skills have been significantly impaired.
This certainly adds a new chapter to the DCU-NYRB rivalry. And, as noted before, I can't imagine that it's going over very well in league HQ that one of their higher-profile players is suing one of the owner/operators of the league for negligence. I wonder if DC United and/or MLS were apprised of Charlie's lawsuit before he filed it.
I don't think it's relevant at all. I'd be comfortable betting that any prior notice was fairly short.
It'd be fun if this progresses to the point of a deposition of Davies, you can't imagine the type of questions he'll get asked in deposition when you are asking for $20M. If he's gotten any skeletons in the closet, they'll be sure to come up, even if he never actually answers the questions.