Andria Kendrick, as Surviving Spouse of K. Chad Kendrick v. Rjm Trading, Inc.

CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedOctober 31, 2025
DocketA25A0772
StatusPublished

This text of Andria Kendrick, as Surviving Spouse of K. Chad Kendrick v. Rjm Trading, Inc. (Andria Kendrick, as Surviving Spouse of K. Chad Kendrick v. Rjm Trading, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Andria Kendrick, as Surviving Spouse of K. Chad Kendrick v. Rjm Trading, Inc., (Ga. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

FIRST DIVISION BROWN, C. J., BARNES, P. J., and WATKINS, J.

NOTICE: Motions for reconsideration must be physically received in our clerk’s office within ten days of the date of decision to be deemed timely filed. https://www.gaappeals.us/rules

October 31, 2025

In the Court of Appeals of Georgia A25A0771. KENDRICK v. FISH TALE RESTAURANTS, LLC. A25A0772. KENDRICK v. RJM TRADING, INC.

WATKINS, Judge.

Following a fatal single-vehicle collision, Appellant Andria Kendrick, the

surviving spouse of K. Chad Kendrick (“Kendrick”), filed a wrongful death action

against Kathleen Arnsdorff, who was driving a passenger truck in which Kendrick was

riding. Appellant also sued the owner of the vehicle, as well as two bars that had

served alcoholic beverages to the Arnsdorff. In Case No. A25A0771, Appellant seeks

review of the grant of summary judgment in favor of Fish Tale Restaurants, LLC,

doing business as Fish Tales. Case No. A25A0772 is her appeal from the grant of

summary judgment in favor of RJM Trading Inc., doing business as Game Time

Sports Bar. Because the trial court did not err in finding that Arnsdorff was not “noticeably intoxicated” when Fish Tales served her and because there is no evidence

that Game Time knew or should have known that she would soon be driving,1 we

affirm.

Summary judgment is proper when there is no genuine issue of material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. A de novo standard of review applies to an appeal from a grant of summary judgment, and we view the evidence, and all reasonable conclusions and inferences drawn from it, in the light most favorable to the nonmovant.2

Fish Tales

Viewed in the light most favorable to Appellant, the record shows that on the

evening of Saturday, December 7, 2019, Arnsdorff spent roughly five hours at Fish

Tales. Although December 7 was a busy “event night” for Fish Tales due to a boat

parade and fireworks, Fish Tales does not dispute that it served Arnsdorff multiple

alcoholic drinks while she was there.

1 See OCGA § 51-1-40 (b). 2 (Citation and punctuation omitted.) Sepid, LLC v. Dock, 374 Ga. App. 825 (913 SE2d 86) (2025). 2 The evidence from motion-activated surveillance video footage, deposition

testimony, and bar receipts shows that three different bartenders served Arnsdorff the

following drinks: a shot of Jameson at an outdoor tiki bar at around 7:05 p.m.; a single

Moscow Mule at approximately 7:13 p.m. at the tiki bar; a double Moscow Mule at the

indoor bar around 8:04 p.m., and then two single Moscow Mules from the tiki bar, one

around 8:55 p.m. and the other around 9:57 p.m. By the time Arnsdorrf ordered a final

Moscow Mule at approximately 10:39 p.m., Fish Tales had run out of ginger beer, one

of the ingredients for the drink. Fish Tales does not dispute that it provided Arnsdorff

with straight vodka (sans mixer) or that, viewed in the light most favorable to

Appellant, Arnsdorff consumed at least some of it.

Game Time

Arnsdorff left Fish Tales at around 11:40 p.m. and arrived at Game Time when

the bartender was doing the last call shortly before the midnight closing time. As she

walked in, Arndorff briefly encountered Kendrick and Jason Padgett, the only two

customers still in the bar. Arnsdorff grabbed Padgett’s arm and yelled at him and

Kendrick to “Get the F out.” Arnsdorff ordered a margarita before heading to the

3 restroom. There is no surveillance video from Game Time,3 but the record shows that

the bartender served Arnsdorff the margarita at approximately 11:55 p.m. Neither

Padgett nor the bartender saw whether Arnsdorff consumed the margarita.

Meanwhile, Padgett and Kendrick were looking for their friend and driver,

Andrew Dufresne, and trying to reach him by phone. Padgett and Kendrick had ridden

with Dufresne to Game Time a few hours earlier, and had expected him to drive them

home.

Padgett testified that Arnsdorff came outside and apologized for yelling at them

when she arrived. Arnsdorff explained that she had been in the food service business

and had wanted to help the bartender clear people out. Padgett recalled that Arnsdorff

may have helped them look for Dufresne; at some point, Kendrick and Padgett gave

up looking. Kendrick had the keys to Dufresne’s pickup truck, and Arnsdorff offered

to drive the two men in the truck to Kendrick’s house, which was approximately two

miles away. Padgett sat in the front passenger seat while Arnsdorff drove. Kendrick,

sitting in the backseat, continued trying to reach Dufresne by phone.

3 See Division 3 (b), infra (discussing Appellant’s spoliation argument). 4 According to phone records, Kendrick connected with Dufresne at 12:43 and

12:48 a.m. Dufresne informed Kendrick that he was still at Game Time, so Kendrick

instructed Arnsdorff to head back. After turning around, Arnsdorff began driving

recklessly; Padgett heard Kendrick remark from the backseat that she had hit 100

miles per hour. Padgett told Arnsdorff to slow down, but she either ignored him or

told him that she knew what she was doing.

At approximately 12:53 a.m., the truck “fishtailed,” went off the road, and

struck a utility pole and a tree. Live power lines were down, and the truck became

engulfed in flames. Emergency vehicles arrived within minutes. Arnsdorff was treated

at the scene before being transported by ambulance to a hospital, arriving there around

1:50 a.m. Padgett suffered serious injuries, but survived the crash. Tragically,

Kendrick was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is unclear at what time Arnsdorff’s blood was drawn to measure the level of

alcohol because hospital records list the time as 1:02 a.m. on December 8, which was

prior to her arrival at the hospital. The test results showed an ethanol level of 204

mg/dl, which Appellant’s expert testified is the equivalent of a whole blood alcohol

concentration (“BAC”) of 0.173.

5 Appellant filed the instant suit, alleging that Fish Tales and Game Time were

liable under Georgia’s Dram Shop Act, OCGA § 51-1-40, and seeking damages for

wrongful death and loss of consortium, as well as attorney fees and punitive damages.

Following a hearing, the trial court entered separate, detailed orders granting both

establishments’ motions for summary judgment. These appeals followed.

The Dram Shop Act provides in relevant4 part:

A person who sells, furnishes, or serves alcoholic beverages to a person of lawful drinking age shall not thereby become liable for injury, death, or damage caused by or resulting from the intoxication of such person, including injury or death to other persons; provided, however, a person . . . who [1] knowingly sells, furnishes, or serves alcoholic beverages to a person who is in a state of noticeable intoxication, [2] knowing that such person will soon be driving a motor vehicle, may become liable for injury or damage caused by or resulting from the intoxication of such . . . person when the sale, furnishing, or serving is the [3] proximate cause of such injury or damage.5

4 The “state of noticeable intoxication” element does not apply when the recipient of the alcoholic beverages is under 21. See OCGA § 51-1-40

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