Barley’s Casino & Brewing Co. in Henderson, Nevada has been forced by the Clark County District Court to pay out $8m to a former patron. The dining and gambling establishment mistakenly served him cleaning solvents instead of the beer he had ordered.
This brings a resolution to the long-brewing saga, as the ill-starred visit occurred in December of 2018.
The man served the chemical cocktail is 38-year-old Lon Enwright, a PhD., middle school special education teacher, and a basketball coach.
On the day in question, he asked for a sample of Honey Blonde ale and was served the fluid instead. At the time, the chemicals were being pumped through the tap mechanism in order to clean it. While this is common practice, it was incumbent on the establishment’s employees to know that these were out of service.
Imbibing the concoction caused him considerable pain and suffering: persistent stomach and esophageal ulcers as well as an increased risk of cancer.
Enwright’s attorney, Andre Lagormarsino, characterized the incident as causing a “loss of enjoyment of life.”
Enwright’s livelihood, too, was affected: until the incident, he worked as a wine steward at several restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip.
Barley’s owner, Station Casinos, reportedly did not respond when asked for a comment. According to Enwright’s representation, though, it had admitted wrongdoing and offered to settle for $300,000 in damages prior to going to trial.
The offer was not accepted, and now Enwright has considerably more money with which to offset the misery of his present circumstance.
