Charlie Davies Suing Nightclub, Red Bull for $20 Million

Suit alleges driver over served at party before fatal crash

D.C. United’s Charlie Davies is suing a nightclub owner and Red Bull in connection with a fatal crash in which he suffered several injuries, The Washington Post reported.

The $20 million lawsuit alleges Maria Espinoza, the driver in the crash, was over served at a Red Bull-sponsored party.

The suit, filed in D.C. Superior Court last week, names Das Enterprises, which operates Shadow Room, and Red Bull North America, the host of the private event on Oct. 12, 2009, at the K Street establishment.

Prosecutors said Espinoza was legally intoxicated as she drove Davies and Ashley Roberta on the George Washington Parkway on their way back to Davies' hotel early Oct. 13, 2009. As she fiddled with her GPS system to navigate the unfamiliar road, she drove off the parkway and crashed with such force that her Infiniti sedan split in two. Roberta was pronounced dead at the scene. Davies was pinned in the rear passenger seat.

Davies missed the 2010 World Cup as he recovered from his injuries, which included a ruptured bladder, a broken, leg, arm and ribs as well as facial fractures.

He resumed his pro career this year.

Espinoza was sentenced to two years in prison in March.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us