Tiger Woods removed from Jupiter restaurant wrongful death lawsuit

JUPITER -- Golf legend Tiger Woods has been removed from a wrongful death lawsuit filed last month by the estate of a 24-year-old man who died in a December car crash, according to court records.

An amended complaint filed Friday by the parents of Nicholas F. Immesberger still lists The Woods Jupiter restaurant and Erica Herman, Woods' girlfriend who is general manager of the restaurant, as defendants. Immesberger, who worked as a bartender at The Woods, was killed on Dec. 10, 2018, in a single-vehicle rollover crash in southern Martin County.

The lawsuit alleged that co-workers at the restaurant over-served alcohol to Immesberger despite having knowledge that he struggled with alcoholism. Attorneys for Woods argued that Woods had no connection to the events described in the lawsuit. Woods is an investor, but does not own or work at the restaurant, his attorneys said. In statement released Monday, Woods' attorney Barry Postman said he believed the decision to remove Woods from the lawsuit was the correct one.

"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 with Mr. Immesberger's death," Postman said. "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."

Immesberger reportedly completed a work shift at about 3 p.m. on Dec. 10 and remained at the bar until beginning his drive home. At about 6 p.m. that evening, Immesberger was driving north on Federal Highway near Southwest Colonial Drive in Port Salerno at a "high rate of speed" when he lost control of his 1999 Chevy Corvette and crashed, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

According to the lawsuit, his blood alcohol level was .256, more than three times the state's legal limit of .08.

The lawsuit was filed days before Woods competed in the PGA Championship golf tournament on Long Island. Speaking before the tournament, Woods did not specifically address the lawsuit, but said everyone involved with The Woods Jupiter was "very sad Nick passed away. It was a terrible night, terrible ending. We feel bad for him and his entire family. It's very sad."

jwhigham@pbpost.com

@JuliusWhigham

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