With Legislative Session One Week Away, Cumming Graduate's Beating Death Could Change State Law

The tragic beating death of a Forsyth County teenager outside a bar in Statesboro will have far-reaching consequences for bar owners across the state if a pair of state lawmakers and the parents of the victim get their way.

South Forsyth High School alumnus Michael Gatto was found unconscious outside popular bar Rude Rudy’s shortly before midnight on Aug. 27. He was rushed to the hospital, but died of his injuries there on Aug. 28. He was 18 years old and was just beginning his freshman year at Georgia Southern University, whose campus is located in Statesboro.

Grant James Spencer, an off-duty bouncer at Rude Rudy’s, was arrested for Gatto’s death and was charged with felony murder on Sept. 2 following his initial arrest for aggravated assault. Johnathan Starkey, the owner of Rude Rudy’s, subsequently permanently closed the establishment at the behest of the City of Statesboro,

After the bar was closed down, Gatto’s parents’ attorneys investigated Starkey’s insurance to see if it could help cover the costs of Gatto’s hospitalization and funeral. They discovered that since the bar was shut down and had never carried liquor liability insurance, their ability to collect was negligible.

Rep. Geoff Duncan (R) of Cumming and Rep. Mike Dudgeon (R) of Johns Creek are preparing a bill tentatively titled ”Michael’s Law,” which would compel all businesses in the state of Georgia which serve alcohol to buy liquor liability insurance, Peach Pundit reports. The proposal will stir up controversy between lawmakers and residents who feel that the burden of purchasing expensive insurance is too onerous for small businesses versus those who believe the businesses have a responsibility to protect themselves and their patrons by getting the insurance.

The Statesboro Herald adds that a further provision of Michael’s Law would require more rigorous reporting of alcohol violations to the Georgia Department of Revenue’s Alcohol and Tobacco Division. Many counties in Georgia are lax in their reporting, and Michael’s Law would make it easier and more important for these violations to be reported to the state, the Herald reports. Individual businesses may also be required to report violations, Duncan told the Herald.

The 2015 Legislative Session of the Georgia General Assembly will begin on Monday, Jan. 12. Rep. Duncan told the Statesboro Herald on Dec. 23 that the bill had yet to be drafted but would be introduced early in the legislative session.