Lawsuit to be filed against Monroe’s Tacos-N-Beer over June 16 incident

Tacos-N-Beer, 116 North Broad Street in Monroe. Photo credit: Brendan Koerner | The Walton Tribune

Local attorney Bart Benton has announced plans for a lawsuit against Tacos-N-Beer, a Monroe restaurant, in response to an incident which occurred at the establishment in the early morning hours of June 16, 2024.

On the night in question, Tacos-N-Beer was found to be hosting patrons beyond the City of Monroe’s permitted time for serving alcohol, Benton said.

Monroe’s permitted time for serving alcohol is 1 a.m. According to a release from Benton & Benton, early reports indicate that management from Tacos-N-Beer actively recruited patrons leaving Will Henry’s Tavern to congregate and continue consuming alcoholic beverages at Tacos-N-Beer after permitted hours.

During this time, multiple men and one woman allegedly assaulted a client of the law firm’s inside the establishment. The lawsuit will contend that despite the apparent danger and the severity of the assault, Tacos-N-Beer management failed to take adequate measures to break up the altercation and protect others from assailants.

Benton told The Walton Tribune Thursday that he plans to file the lawsuit next week.

“The safety and wellbeing of all patrons should be the utmost priority for any establishment serving alcohol and failure to adhere to the local ordinance and ensure a secure environment will not be tolerated,” Benton said when announcing the lawsuit.

City of Monroe Police Chief R.V. Watts said his department is still investigating.

“We have pulled video footage as well as interviewed people,” Watts said. “We still have people we need to identify and talk to.”

Watts said there have been other incidents at the Tacos-N-Beer location that officers have had to respond to.

Calls and emails to Tacos-N-Beer ownership were not returned.