ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court has ruled that victims of drunken drivers who have been overserved will have an easier time holding liquor establishments accountable.
The state's high reserved earlier this month a Court of Appeals decision to halt a $14.5 million jury verdict in connection to a 2003 motorcyclist's death by a drunk driver who spent most of his day drinking beer from a gas station.
In the ruling, the Supreme Court established new standards for evaluating evidence.
Daniel Ralph Gutierrez was at an Albuquerque traffic light when he was killed by driver Dean Durand. Durand was later sentenced to 10 years in prison for vehicular homicide.
Jake Vigil, who represented the estate of Gutierrez, told the Albuquerque Journal (http://bit.ly/AujKw5 ) that the ruling was a win for the public.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.