Tiger Woods dropped from wrongful death suit

A wrongful death lawsuit no longer names Tiger Woods in a claim against a South Florida restaurant that carries the golfer’s name.

Woods’ attorneys announced Monday that the estate of a bartender who crashed his car and died after leaving the restaurant in December had voluntarily dismissed Woods as a defendant. But the lawsuit filed last month by the parents of Nicholas Immesberger is ongoing against both The Woods Jupiter — the name of the restaurant near Woods’ South Florida home — and Woods’ girlfriend, who serves as general manager.

According to Woods’ attorney, Barry Postman, Woods invests in but does not own the restaurant.

“The decision was clearly appropriate and reflected the fact that Mr. Woods should not have been included in the lawsuit in the first place because he had nothing to do with Mr. Immesberger’s death,” Postman said in a statement. “While the situation was tragic, the facts will ultimately show that the cause of Mr. Immesberger’s car accident were the many decisions made by Mr. Immesberger on the night of his passing.”

The lawsuit had claimed that Woods contributed to the death of an employee who was in a one-car crash. Immesberger had a blood alcohol level that was more than three times the legal limit, according to the suit, which claimed he was overserved at the restaurant before getting in his car to drive home.

They “knew [Immesberger] was suffering from the disease of alcoholism,” the lawsuit states, and not only “ignored” that but “fueled it” by letting him drink at the restaurant’s bar “to the point of severe intoxication.”

The lawsuit was filed in Palm Beach County, Florida, during the week of the PGA Championship.

Woods said at the time in Farmingdale, New York: “We’re all very sad that Nick passed away. It was a terrible night, a terrible ending, and just — we feel bad for him and his entire family. It’s very sad.”

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Immesberger, 24, was involved in an accident at 6 p.m. on Dec. 10 along a stretch of U.S. 1, nearly 16 miles north of The Woods. The report said he had lost control of his 1999 Chevrolet Corvette and veered across three lanes of the highway, running into a grass area before going airborne. He was not wearing a seat belt.

Woods, 43, is currently out of the country on a vacation with his family following competing in the U.S. Open.