Tiger Woods, girlfriend named in wrongful death lawsuit

May 13 (UPI) -- Tiger Woods, his girlfriend, Erica Herman, and The Woods restaurant in Jupiter, Fla., are being sued for allegedly over-serving an employee who later died in a car crash.

The family of the employee, Nicholas Immesberger, filed the suit in West Palm Beach, Fla., saying that Woods and Herman, who is the restaurant's general manager, were both responsible for the staffer's death. The attorneys for Immesberger's family are conducting a news conference Tuesday morning.

After working a shift in December, Immesberger, 24, drank alcohol at the venue before being killed in a drunk driving accident. According to the suit, he had a blood-alcohol reading of .256, over three times the legal limit in Florida. He lost control of his vehicle on Federal Highway in Martin County and was pronounced dead at the scene on Dec. 10, 2018.

According to the suit, Woods, Herman and other employees were aware of Immesberger's alcoholism but continued to over-serve him during and after his shifts. The suit also says Woods and Herman drank with Immesberger a few nights before the fatal crash despite his struggle with alcohol.

"Tiger knew, or reasonably should have known, that Immesberger was habitually addicted to the use of any or all alcoholic beverages, and/or was a habitual drunkard," the suit says.

Woods and Herman returned from a trip to Australia on Dec. 7. It is unclear if Woods or Herman were at the restaurant Dec. 10.

Woods, who won the 2019 Masters earlier this year, is playing in the PGA Championship this week at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York. He was at the course practicing Monday.