Two people were killed by a drunk driver on December 9, 2011. The decedent’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver, now serving a twelve year sentence in prison, and his former employer. The decedent’s family alleged the employer contributed to the employee’s intoxication. Defending the employer, Jim Mangione argued the undisputed facts demonstrated the employer did not contribute to the employee’s intoxication and therefore the employer was entitled to judgment without a trial. The Superior Court of San Diego agreed. According to Jim, who served as trial counsel, “it was clear the Court closely read the papers, knew all the facts and all the case law. It allowed an unheard of two-and-half hours of oral argument and afterwards took its time to come to the correct conclusion that the employer was not responsible for this tragedy.” The case will likely be appealed to the Fourth District Court of Appeal.