Texas Man Arrested For DWI After Suing Restaurant For Drunken Brawl

A Texas man who successfully sued a restaurant for overserving him alcohol was arrested for drunk driving on Tuesday, August 17.

Daniel Rawls was arrested in Andrews County and is being held at the local jail on a $5,000 bond.

Rawls' arrest comes less than a month after he was awarded $5.5 million in a civil lawsuit against La Fogata Mexican Grill in Andrews, which is 40 miles northwest of Midland.

His attorney claimed that the bar and restaurant was negligent for a drunken brawl Rawls got into with another customer in May 2019, according to the Midland Reporter-Telegram.

The suit says that Rawls was overserved alcohol by an inexperienced bartender. After drinking too much, Rawls got into an argument with Robert Henrickson, who was also drinking at the restaurant.

As the two men fought in the restaurant's parking lot, Rawls sustained a “serious and debilitating” head injury.

The suit also claimed La Fogato was negligent because an ambulance was not called for Rawls after he fell in the “an uneven parking lot." Restaurant owner Lourdes Galindo was also named for failing to ensure that the parking lot didn't have obstacles “that would pose a tripping or falling hazard to intoxicated patrons.”

Rawls was awarded the $5.5 million after Galindo and the unnamed bartender failed to show up to court. The restaurant can appeal the ruling.