Prisoners sue beer and wine companies

Five US prison inmates are suing a range of beer and wine companies, claiming that alcohol was responsible for their crimes.

As part of their US$1 billion lawsuit the prisoners also claim that the companies did not do enough to warn them about alcohol’s addictive properties.

The US district court confirmed that a civil suit was lodged last month by Keith Allen Brown plus Jeremy Joseph Brown, Cory Alan Baugh, Woodrow John Grant and Steven Todd Thompson.

The lawsuit targets Adolph Coors, American Brands, Anheuser-Busch, Brown-Forman, Ernest and Julio Gallo, Gallo’s Winery, Miller Brewing Company, Pepsi-Cola and RJR Nabisco.

In the lawsuit the inmates claim that they drank alcohol without knowing that they could become addicted. The Huffington Post reports that the lawsuit states: “At no time in my life, prior to me becoming an alcoholic, was I ever informed that alcohol was habit forming and addictive.”

One of the plaintiffs, Jeremy Brown, is serving a 20-30 year sentence for leaving someone seriously injured after a shooting and he claims he was drunk when the shooting took place. According to The Huffington Post he states in his affidavit that if he had not been an alcoholic, the shooting, “never would have happened”.

As yet none of the companies named in the lawsuit has responded to the claims made by the prisoners. But Boise attorney Joe Filicetti told ABC News: “I think it’s pretty common knowledge that it’s addictive. It’s well known to be something that causes you to reduce your inhibitions and to do things you otherwise wouldn’t do.”