72°F
weather icon Clear

Family of man killed in DUI crash sues Las Vegas stripper, Spearmint Rhino

The family of a man killed in a DUI crash that involved a Las Vegas stripper has filed a civil suit against the dancer and the club where she performed.

Shauna Miller “acted with malice and a conscious disregard for the rights and safety” of James White and his 2-year-old son, according to the suit filed this week in Clark County District Court.

White, 33, died after the 2003 Hummer Miller was driving slammed into his 1997 Ford Escort at the intersection of Spring Mountain and Wynn roads. White’s son suffered minor injuries.

Miller pleaded guilty in criminal court earlier this month to DUI in connection with the crash.

Las Vegas police said Miller told investigators she took Xanax and drank two beers at work overnight at Spearmint Rhino, a strip club on Highland Drive.

The lawsuit accuses the gentlemen’s club of negligence for encouraging Miller to drink while at work with the understanding that she would later drive.

The complaint also names Donald Puckett, who owned the Hummer, and Quick Valet LLC, which handed Miller the keys to the vehicle “in spite of Miller’s impeded condition.”

Miller was under the legal limit for alcohol on her preliminary breath test, although some alcohol registered, according to an arrest report.

She failed her field sobriety test, police said.

White’s fiancee, Rachel Sidor, said at the time that he had just dropped her off at work and was on his way home to feed their son breakfast.

District Judge Valorie Vega is scheduled to sentence Miller in September in the criminal case. A court date has not been set in the civil matter.

A woman who answered the phone at Spearmint Rhino on Tuesday said the club would not comment.

Contact reporter David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find him on Twitter: @randompoker.

MOST READ
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
How a piece of Las Vegas Strip history ended up in Pahrump

For one historic Las Vegas Strip resort, a little piece of its history has been preserved in the Pahrump Valley, under the care of a local couple.

 
NFL player arrested on DUI charge in Las Vegas

Tracy Walker, 30, was pulled over at about 2 a.m. in the area of Tropicana Avenue and Decatur Boulevard, and was booked into the Clark County Detention Center after failing a set of field sobriety tests, police said.

MORE STORIES