GRANITE BAY, Calif. — The wife of one of the men killed in a crash in Granite Bay last year has filed to dismiss a lawsuit alleging both a Roseville restaurant serving alcohol and the driver were negligent.
Documents filed in Placer County Superior Court on March 29 show Sierra Pannu's attorney filed to dismiss the action without prejudice. This means she could choose to re-file the case at a later date, according to the California Judicial Branch.
The crash happened Dec. 14 at East Roseville Parkway and Brackenbury Way, less than three miles from the House of Oliver on Douglas Boulevard.
Three people besides 45-year-old Karan Pannu were killed, including 65-year-old Patrick Gainer, 53-year-old Paul Hammack and the driver, 61-year-old Jerry Cepel.
The request to dismiss the lawsuit comes after California Highway Patrol concluded its investigation into the crash in early March.
The investigation found the driver, Jerry Cepel, was under the influence at the time of the crash and was speeding when he made an ‘unsafe turning movement’ causing the vehicle to leave East Roseville Parkway.
Cepel’s 2016 Mercedes hit three trees, killing him and his three passengers.
In the original lawsuit, Sierra Pannu was seeking an amount that exceeds $25,000 from the estate of the driver of the crash and the House of Oliver in the death of Karan Pannu.
According to the lawsuit, the House of Oliver was hosting "Whiskey Wednesdays," where it alleged the "risk of severe intoxication is high."
"As well, the House of Oliver allowed Mr. Cepel to leave in his car while severely intoxicated and obviously drunk," the lawsuit reads.
ABC10 reached out to Matthew Oliver, owner of the House of Oliver, for a statement. He said, in part:
"At House of Oliver, we know our team and staff are dedicated to the safety of our customers. We are proud of their upstanding service, and we know they take care of anyone who comes to our establishment.
Our heart grieves and breaks over the lives that were lost. We were confident we were going to be removed from this lawsuit."
ABC10 also asked Pannu's lawyer for a statement and this story will be updated with it once we hear back from them.
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