Woman sues bar owner for providing her alcoholic beverages

A Canadian lady who caused an explosion and millions of dollars in damages due to her drunk driving is suing a club owner for selling her alcohol prior to the incident.

Daniella Leis crashed her car into a house in London, Ontario, while she was drunk in 2019. This broke a gas line and caused an explosion that hurt seven people, including first responders, destroyed four homes, and caused an estimated $15 million in damage.

After pleading guilty in 2021, Leis was sentenced to three years in jail.

At the time, Judge George Orsini acknowledged a number of mitigating circumstances, but stated, “Ms. Leis is fortunate that no one was murdered as a result of her actions. She and the community owe a sense of thanks to those who selflessly put themselves in harm’s way to save others’ lives.”

Now, however, Leis and her father, Shawn Leis, have filed a lawsuit against Ovations Ontario Food Services, alleging that the company, which served her alcohol at Budweiser Gardens (where she had attended a concert that night), “placed profit over safety” by continuing to serve her while she was intoxicated.

The statement of claim, as reported by CBC, asserts that the company “knew or should have known that she was intoxicated or would become intoxicated” and failed to check her “intended mode of transportation as she exited Budweiser Gardens when they knew or should have known that she was or appealed to be intoxicated and/or impaired.” The claim asserts that if Leis and her father are compelled to pay any damages, they are “entitled to contribution and indemnification from the defendant.”