Widow pulls lawsuit against House of Oliver, driver in aftermath of fiery Granite Bay crash

The wife of a man killed in a fatal crash in Granite Bay last year, that also left three others dead, has filed to dismiss her lawsuit against the driver as well as the restaurant that served them alcohol.

On March 29, Sierra Pannu and her attorney submitted a request to dismiss the suit without prejudice.

The lawsuit, filed in December 2022, sought more than $25,000 in damages. Sierra Pannu, wife of Karan Pannu, filed a complaint in Placer Superior Court alleging wrongdoing on the part of the driver, Jerry Cepel, and House of Oliver, a Roseville wine lounge.

In the lawsuit filed against Cepel’s estate, she accuses him of “driving over the speed limit and intoxicated” at the time. She also argued in her suit that the House of Oliver, situated on Douglas and Sierra College boulevards 2½ miles from the crash site, contributed to her husband’s death by continuing to serve Cepel when he was “severely intoxicated and obviously drunk,” according to the complaint.

The lawsuit argued Cepel became increasingly intoxicated at the restaurant’s Whiskey Wednesday event, which it holds weekly.

“The House of Oliver allowed Mr. Cepel to drive,” the lawsuit said.

A California Highway Patrol investigation into the crash found that alcohol was a factor.

“It has been determined through toxicology reports, (Jerry) Cepel was driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash,” CHP said in a news release. “Additionally, physical evidence revealed Cepel was driving at a high rate of speed and made an unsafe turning movement which caused his vehicle to travel off the main portion of the roadway where it collided into three separate trees.”

Cepel, 61, along with passengers Pannu, 45; Patrick Gainer, 65; and Paul Hammack, 53, were killed.

Matthew Oliver, owner of House of Oliver, said his staff is dedicated to the safety of their customers.

“Our heart joins with our close-knit community as it grieves and breaks over the lives that were affected and lost,” he said in a statement to The Sacramento Bee. “We were confident in the outcome of the investigation and that House of Oliver and our team would be removed from any lawsuit or wrongdoing.”

This story was originally published April 12, 2023 at 6:21 PM.