Relatives of a Fort Worth woman killed in a December wreck involving an off-duty Fort Worth police officer filed suit Thursday against the Fort Worth bar where officer Jesus Cisneros was drinking.

At a news conference in Dallas on Thursday morning, lawyer Jeff Rasansky said the family of Sonia Baker decided to sue the Pour House to hold such establishments accountable for over-serving patrons and "placing profits ahead of safety."

The lawsuit was filed under the state's Dram Shop Act, which allows those who sell alcohol to an obviously intoxicated person to be held liable for resulting damages.

"Obviously, there is absolutely no amount of money that could replace the loss of life that this family has suffered," Rasansky told reporters as he sat next to Baker's mother, Stella Lopez.

"This is not about the money. ... It is sending a message to these bars and establishments like this to ensure that this does not happen again," he said.

The suit, filed in the 236th District Court in Tarrant County, names as defendants the Pour House, an assumed name of Aventura Hospitality, LLC, bar owner Eric Tschetter and Pueri Inc., another related business entity.

It alleges that servers at the bar continued to serve Cisneros to the point of him becoming "dangerously inebriated," then allowed him "to stagger out of the bar and drive away from The Pour House in the city vehicle."

"As a result of over-serving to and allowing Cisneros to leave in this smashed condition, Cisneros took the City's unmarked vehicle and, as he sped down Columbus Trail, tragically stole and ended Mrs. Baker's life," the lawsuit states.

Tschetter said Thursday that he could not comment about the lawsuit and referred questions to his attorney, Greg Winslett of Dallas. Winslett did not return repeated phone messages left by the Star-Telegram.

The wreck

Cisneros, 37, was charged last month with intoxication manslaughter in the case and remains free on bail.

An internal investigation by the Police Department found the narcotics officers had visited three bars while on-duty, drinking up to three beers as part of an unauthorized undercover bar detail, according to Civil Service records obtained by the Star-Telegram last month.

After completing the bar detail, Cisneros, then off-duty, drove to the Pour House at 2725 W. Seventh St. in his unmarked city vehicle, where he met other officers at a birthday celebration. There, Cisneros drank about four more beers and four shots of alcohol, the records state.

About 2:25 a.m. the next morning, Cisneros was driving the city vehicle when he crashed the Toyota Highlander into Baker's Chrysler PT Cruiser as she attempted to turn onto Columbus Trail in front of him.

Baker, who had been driving to a fast-food restaurant to pick up breakfast for her family before heading to work, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cisneros was taken to a hospital, where blood tests revealed that he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.17, more than twice the legal limit.

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