Family of woman killed in DUI crash sues drunk driver Taylor Barefoot, Sazerac, bartending company

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The family of a woman who died in a southern Indiana wrong-way crash caused by a drunk driver has filed a lawsuit against the driver, the spirits company she was a recruiter for, and a mobile bartending service.

Last week, in Floyd County Circuit Court, 31-year-old Taylor Barefoot pleaded guilty to three counts of causing death while operating a motor vehicle while drunk and one count of involuntary manslaughter.

That plea was in connection with a March 7, 2020 crash on Interstate 265 in Floyd County just after 9 p.m., when Barefoot slammed head-on into another vehicle.

Taylor Cole, 21, her 3-year-old son, and a passenger, 22-year-old Leah Renee Dunn (formerly Onstott) were killed in the crash. Dunn's 3-year-old son was also injured in the crash.

The involuntary manslaughter charge stems from the death of an unborn fetus that resulted from the crash.

On Monday, Dunn's estate, as well as her widower, filed a lawsuit in Jefferson Circuit Court against Barefoot, Barefoot Consulting, Sazerac North America Inc., Sazerac of Indiana LLC and Naked By Sunday LLC.

The lawsuit alleges that at the time of the crash, Barefoot was providing recruiting services of some form for Sazerac, through her company, Barefoot Consulting LLC, and that she had attended the spirits company's Mardi Gras party hours before the crash.

"Barefoot was provided Sazerac's [sic] alcoholic beverages past the point where she was considered manifestly under the influence of alcohol," the lawsuit states. "In fact, Barefoot was determined to be somewhat in the vicinity of four times the legal limit of intoxication."

In a statement, a spokeswoman for Sazerac said the company, "does not comment on pending litigation, but I can confirm Ms. Barefoot was not a Sazerac employee."

"It has yet to be determined if Barefoot was an employee or sub-contracted consultant for Sazerac," the lawsuit states. "It is not disputed that she was a company recruiter for Sazerac, and was an invitee to the Sazerac event regardless of how she was paid."

A company called Naked By Sunday was hired by Sazerac to provide bartending services to the party, according to the lawsuit.

"Over the course of the Mardi Gras Party, Sazerac and/or Naked by Sunday LLC provided alcoholic beverages to Barefoot until she was extremely and visibly intoxicated," the lawsuit states. "It was open and obvious to many guests, including Sazerac's and Naked by Sunday's agents and/or employees in attendance, that Barefoot was manifestly under the influence of alcohol. Despite this obvious and known danger, Sazerac and/or Naked by Sunday's agents continued or permitted others to continue to supply Barefoot with Sazerac branded alcohol after the point when any reasonable person should have known that she was intoxicated."

The lawsuit accuses Barefoot, Barefoot Consulting, Sazerac and Naked by Sunday of negligence for failing to prevent the fatal DUI crash. Among other things, the lawsuit seeks damages for loss of consortium, as well as compensatory and punitive damages.

Lawsuits represent only one side of a story.

WDRB has attempted to contact representatives Naked by Sunday for comment. At the time of this writing, no response has been received.

This is not the first lawsuit filed in connection with the case. Last year, Cole's family filed a similar lawsuit.

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