Bars / Nightclubs Expert Witnesses: 4

Preston Rideout is a Nightclub and Bar Expert with 25 years of experience, 75 Alcohol Safety Certifications, and over 100 clients across the United States. He is a highly sought-after Nightclub and Bar Consultant and widely considered the most experienced Dram Shop Expert in the legal industry. Preston is CEO of Rideout Hospitality and Founder of The Dram Shop Experts.

Upon graduating from the University of Mississippi, Preston Rideout relocated to Las Vegas to operate Coyote Ugly, Tangerine Nightclub, Pure Nightclub, PCD l Louge, Audigier Nightclub, LAX Nightclub, Noir Bar, EVE Nightclub, Venus, and Rehab Pool Party, located inside New York Casino, Treasure Island Casino, Ceasar's Palace, The Luxor, Aria Casino, and The Hard Rock Hotel.

In 2010, Preston launched Rideout Hospitality and began consulting for Hotels, Resorts, Restaurants, Nightclubs, and Bars across the United States. His partial client list can be found here.

In 2016, Preston Rideout and Ryan Dahlstrom published a Bartender Training Manual. and received over 100,000 downloads. To date, The Bar Experts Bartender Training Manual is the most downloaded document in the Hospitality Industry.

In 2018, Preston Rideout recruited Kim Schioldan and Silver Tree Gordon to create the Dram Shop Experts. As a team, they have 75 years of experience and operated over 250 Restaurants, Nightclubs, Bars, Pool Parties, and Music Festivals. Dram Shop Attorneys retain Preston Rideout to provide expert witness testimony because his comprehensive nightlife knowledge provides powerful insight into responsible alcohol service and industry-standard bar operations. Clients retain The Dram Shop Experts to provide insight into Responsible Alcohol Service, Intoxication Identification Industry Standard Bar Operations Bartender Training Security Use of Force Nightclub Negligence, and Liquor Liability.

View Preston Rideout's Consulting Profile.

Richard M. Santoro, CPP, is an ASIS International board-certified Protection Professional (CPP) and an experienced Hospitality, Resort, Premises Liability Security Expert. He has 30 years of corporate security experience that includes responsibility for security operations, risk management, executive protection, physical security, CCTV design and operation, investigations, special events, and labor action preparation.

Litigation Support - As an independent security expert, Mr. Santoro has opined, developed, planned, and consulted on various security operations, physical security, target hardening, emergency management, event planning, nightclub security, and matters for numerous public and private organizations. He has experience with hospitality, casino gaming, nightclub, bar, cash-in-transit (CIT), healthcare, public sector, retail, convenience store, petroleum vendor, and entertainment venue security litigation consulting.

As Principal of Interbrief.Org, Rick Santoro has the necessary expertise to assist in litigated matters from the beginning of the case through trial. He offers forensic research relating to:

Credentials:

• New Jersey Security Officer Reform Act (S.O.R.A) Instructor
• UNLV/DHS Soft Target Terrorism Awareness Instructor
• Graduate of FBI Citizens Academy
• Federal Secret Clearance
• Member of Department of Homeland Security Commercial Sector Advisory Council

View Rick Santoro's Consulting Profile.

Dennis Gemberling, CHA, CFBE, FMP, FCSI, President and Founder of Perry Group International, has over 35 years of experience in the Hospitality Management industry. His experience includes managing, operating, and consulting on full-service, limited-service, extended-stay, all-suite, condo and timeshare hotels and resorts, casual, fine-dining, and quick-service restaurants, bars and nightclubs, catering and special event facilities, casinos, and mixed-use real estate. 

Mr. Gemberling has held prior positions for different owners, operators, and chains as Senior Vice President, General Manager, Director of Food & Beverage, and Restaurant Unit Manager. He has been retained on over 400 projects with typical values in the $1 million to $75 million range and revenues in the $1 million to $100 million range both nationally and internationally. His many clients have include among others Biscuits & Blues, Cantina’s, Chevy’s, Choice Hotels, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inns, Hilton, Holiday Inns, Hooter’s Casino, Hyatt, Marriott, McDonald’s, Microtel Inn & Suites, Outback Restaurants, Radisson, Residence Inns, Signature Resort, Sizzler, Sonic Drive-Ins, Starbucks, Starwood, Sheraton, Togo’s, Wendy’s, and Willie Mays Skybox Lounge. 

Litigation Support: Dennis Gemberling is a Certified Hotel Administrator, Certified Food and Beverage Executive, Certified Foodservice Management Professional, and Certified Food Safety Manager. He offers expert witness services to attorneys for plaintiff and defendant cases on a variety of Hospitality-related claims. He is a Professional Member of Foodservice Consultants Society International and the Forensic Expert Witness Association. Mr. Gemberling also provides expertise as a Court Appointed Receiver and Interim Property Manager and is currently the Past President and a Board of Director for the California Receivers Forum – Bay Area Chapter. 

Areas of Expertise:

View Dennis Gemberling's Consulting Profile.

Michael J. Canaan, CPP CFLC, is a Premises Liability Expert Witness with over 45 years of experience in military and civil law enforcement, as well as corporate and private sector security and investigative positions.

Assignments have taken him from the Bering Sea to Southeast Alaska, across Canada and the United States, to countries in Central and South American in case venues ranging from educational settings, amphitheaters and stadiums, nightclubs and sports bars, ships, casinos, retail environments, food processing facilities, malls, and shopping centers.

Expert cases have involved evaluating failure to meet best practices, duty or standard of care in areas such as:

• Inadequate or negligent hiring, retention, training, supervision, staffing, and terminations
• Use of force or excessive force, threats, harassment, and intimidation
• Inadequate or non-non-existent policies and procedures, post orders
• Assaults, voyeurism, rape, sexual assault, robbery, shootings, stabbing, and homicide
• Security technology integration, improper or inadequate physical security infrastructure or systems installation
• Workplace violence

Mr. Canaan has worked on nearly 50 expert cases, with testimony experience in both deposition and trial.

He is Board Certified in Security Management by the American Society for Industrial Security, International. ASIS is the largest professional security practitioner association with over 38,000 members worldwide, of which only 2200 have received this prestigious certification. Mr. Canaan is also a Certified Forensic Litigation Consultant with the Forensic Expert Witness Association.

View Michael Canaan's Consulting Profile.