The Mario Bill
Background
On August 22nd, 2024, four teenagers (including our client), were sold alcohol by a convenience store in Ramseur, NC (Randolph County). Unfortunately, as a result of the intoxication the driver got in a car accident that resulted in the death of our client who was the front seat passenger. The tragedy has not only sparked litigation against the indiviudal and his store that provided the alcohol, but also against the North Carolina Alcohol Beverage Control (NCABC) for not monitoring the criminal behavior of their permittees.
Why this is important to parents in NC...
This is important to all parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, guardians, or anyone residing in North Carolina who has loved ones who are under the age of 21. Our client could've been any teenager that goes to a convenience store where alcohol could be purchase underage. Should teenagers be buying alcohol? No. But the reality is that almost every teenager has consumed or attempted to consume alcohol before they were 21. That is why it is up to the adults, especially those with the ability to sell it to alcohol to protect teenagers from themselves. But what happens when the person selling the alcohol doesn't care who he may hurt or cause to hurt themselves? And what happens when the NCABC has made it very easy for these people to do so?
Who is Mario?
Mario was a 15-year old NC resident, who lived with his parents and attended Eastern Randolph High School in Ramseur, NC.
Mario was active in church youth group and his hobbies consisted of soccer and basketball. Mario was popular amongst his friends in school and is remembered by his peers as friendly, fun, and outgoing.
On August 22nd, 2024, Mario was riding as a passenger in a car driven by his friend that lost control and crashed. Police who investigated the scene determined that the accident was caused by the driver's intoxication and it was later determined that the teenagers received the alcohol from a store called Quick Quality, owned by Jaswinder Taya. Many news outlets provided a story on this incident.
Who is Jaswinder Taya and Quick Quality mart?
Jaswinder Taya is a resident of Randolph County, originally from Kurukshetra, India. He owns a convenience store known as Quick Quality mart which is located at 6616 Jordan Road, Ramseur, NC 27316.
Jaswinder Taya is currently facing numerous charges including; 2 counts of involuntary manslaughter, multiple drug possession and selling charges, as well as charges regarding violations of those with licenses to sell alcohol.
Quick Quality mart is a convenience store in Ramseur, NC that is currently still open and somehow still has an active permit to sell alcohol despite the ongoing criminal proceedings of the owner. Gray Legal Group hired private investigators to investigate the reputation and history of this convenience store and one thing that was abundantly clear is that this store is widely known in the community as the place where teenagers can buy alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, amongst other things.
Why is the NCABC at fault?
Was the NCABC who directly sold the alcohol to the teenagers? No. But they might as well have. The NCABC has been complicit in the behavior of the permittees. The typical punishment for those who commit violations is a simple fine and rarely is a suspension of their permit.
What is even more concerning is that in 2012, the NCABC conducted a hearing into Quick Quality mart and Jaswinder Taya, and one of the charges was for selling alcohol to a minor. However, for reasons that are unknown that charge was voluntarily dismissed. Not only did the NCABC have previous knowledge of this previous violation, they have ignored the multitude of criminal charges Jaswinder Taya has accumulated over the years. Including: selling alcohol to someone under 21 (2010), allow unlicensed to drive (2010), assault on a female (2011), felony worthless check (2012), assault on a female (2012), sale of glass tubes/splitters (2013), possession with intent to sell synthetic cannabinoid (2013), possess/sell alcoholic beverage with no permit (2016) x3.
Ask yourself, is this the type of person you want in a position to be selling alcohol to the community?
What this shows is the clear negligence of the NCABC from keeping an eye on previous violators and repeat criminals as to how they uphold ABC laws. This level of negligence rises to the level of clear disregard for the safety of others. NCABC has been put on notice that this person has violated ABC laws and has a history of criminal charges, yet somehow he has still been able to maintain his permit. And even to this day the permit is still active. It may not be reasonable to expect NCABC to monitor all permit holders, but it is reasonable to expect them to monitor permit holders such as
Jaswinder Taya and Quick Quality.
The Facts:
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The only entity that can provide individuals and business with a permit to sell alcohol is the NC Alcohol Beverage Control Commission.
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The mission statement of the NCABC is: Enhance public safety in NC Communities through regulation, education, permitting, and the proper sale and responsible consumption of alcohol.
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The NCABC has an education department which includes the RASP (responsible alcohol seller/server program) which focuses on the prevention of selling alcohol to underage person.
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The only time that the NCABC makes any inquiry into the applicants moral standing is during the initial application. The NCABC makes no further inquiry into how the permittee behaves after the permit is initially approved.
The Appalling Facts:
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The NCABC makes roughly $25 million in annual revenue from permit applications, whether or not they are approved.
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The NCABC somehow DOES NOT require permittees to check ID when someone purchases alcohol. (read it again, we couldn't believe either).
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When a permittee does receive a suspension of their permit it is the responsibility of the patron to see if the vendor's permit is active. NCABC has no guidelines for how a permittee goes about notifiying the public of their suspension.
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When a permittee does receive a suspension, does the NCABC remove the alcohol from the premises? Nope. They just kindly ask the violating permittee to store all the alcohol in the back until the suspension is over. (you read that correctly, the permittee who was found to have violated an alcohol sales violation gets to keep all the alcohol on hand with the hope that they won't continue to sell it)
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The NCABC does not require permit holders to maintain any insurance coverage.
Statement from the mother, of the victim
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My heart will never heal from this, and my mind will never forget my son who brought so much joy to this world and my family...
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Although, the criminal who sold the minors the alcohol is currently awaiting sentencing for his crimes, it is heartbreaking to know that the NCABC does not admit any shortcomings on their end. Rather than acknowledge that they should have not allowed this business to maintain their permit, they have stated that they see no obligation to protect those from being subjected to illegal alcohol sales. If the NCABC does not change their priority to ensuring proper alcohol sales instead of profit from accepting as many permit applications as possible then this will happen to others.
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Alcohol can be a dangerous substance, and it is even more dangerous when in the hands of someone who sells to children. The NCABC should NOT be ok with this and should take this as an opportunity to show remorse for their disregard for how permit holders use their permit.
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