Former Anheuser-Busch Owner Tries to Settle Wrongful Death Suit

August Busch IV of St. Louis County, Missouri has made a settlement offer in his wrongful death case.

According to a piece published in Reuters, the former owner of Budweiser’s girlfriend, Adrienne Martin, died in December from a drug overdose. Drug labs taken during the autopsy showed that she had deadly levels of oxycodone and cocaine in her system.

Busch extended an offer to Martin’s family of $1.5 million, although he admitted no wrongdoing. St. Louis County opted not to file criminal charges against the final heir to the Anheuser-Busch beer empire, stating that the overdose was believed to be accidental.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published a statistics sheet concerning wrongful death incidents in the U.S. for the year of 2008. Overall, wrongful deaths made were fifth on the list of causes of death for Americans. Specifically, 123,706 people died from unintentional injuries, which makes 41 per 100,000 people. Emergency departments also saw 28.4 million cases of unintentional injuries.

The law firm of WWF&G represents numerous families of victims that have sustained a wrongful death. A wrongful death claim may arise from an auto accident, railroad accident, barge accident, construction accident, a medical malpractice claim, nursing home neglect and other accidents where one party is liable for the death of another. The purpose of wrongful death cases are to provide compensation to the surviving spouse, children and other “next of kin” for losses sustained due to a person’s death. In part, it is intended to provide a spouse and family with benefits that they would have received from the continued life of the decedent. It is also intended to provide compensation for the non-economic damages such as loss of relationship, companionship, love, affection, guidance and care.

At WWF&G, we have prosecuted wrongful death claims for over 38 years. We deal with defendants and their insurance companies on a regular basis and we will maximize your recovery. Please review our verdicts and settlements page for some our results.