Illinois bars are defendants in wrongful death suit

By Erik Ricasa

Published on July 22, 2005

Caitlin Weese died on May 24, 2003, two days after her car was hit by that of James Stiff, who was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to reckless homicide in July, 2004. Tests showed Stiff had alcohol and marijuana in his system at the time of the crash.

The Weese family is engaged in settlement talks with attorneys for the two bars, The Barn and Starbusters. They are also suing Stitt and his mother, Laura Moore. The suit alleges the bars are guilty of allowing Stitt to become intoxicated and that Moore shouldn't have allowed her son to borrow her car on the night of the crash.

An attorney for Starbusters said his client is a fringe defendant, because Stitt did very little drinking there on the night in question, but drank a lot more at The Barn.

The suit seeks more that $100,000 from each bar.

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