To the Editor:
Accountability is the bedrock of American justice. Yet, as I fight to end Qualified Immunity for government actors through the Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity, I am now forced to fight a similar battle on a heartbreakingly personal front. My son, Terrell Michael Raphael Brown died March 31, 2024 at just 21 years old after being served a fatal volume of alcohol by a local establishment.
Common sense says that a business profiting from recklessly overserving a young man to the point of toxicity should be held liable. However, the Ohio Dram Shop Act (O.R.C. 4399.18) acts as a shield, granting statutory immunity to businesses and attempting to block a grieving family’s right to a jury trial. This law relies on a "First-Party" bar, effectively blaming the victim for their own death while ignoring the gross negligence of the establishment that kept pouring the drinks. This is legally and morally unsound.
As a mother, I am bringing a claim under the Wrongful Death Act as an innocent third party. My loss is distinct, deep, and permanent. If the courts dismiss this case, they send a dangerous message: that corporate reckless disregard for human life is acceptable in Ohio. We are asking for nothing more than our day in court. Terrell deserves justice, and Ohio families deserve to know that the law protects them, not just the profits of reckless businesses.
As founder and committee chair of the Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity, I have spent years fighting legal shields that allow government actors to escape accountability. Today I face a cruelly similar injustice in the private sphere. I need an Ohio-licensed attorney to help me in the wrongful death case for my son.
Please contact me today at cb64333@gmail.com if you can help me with this case. I am prepared to forward the complaint, toxicology report, receipts, timeline, and all evidence immediately. Thank you for considering this cry from a grieving mother who still has fight left in her. With your help, we can tear down one more unjust shield and bring long-overdue accountability to my son’s death.
With deepest gratitude and unyielding resolve,
Cynthia Brown
