Tagged: August Busch IV

Jacob McCleland contributed reporting from Cape Girardeau.

A Cape Girardeau judge denied a deposition request on Tuesday in the wrongful death hearing of Adrienne Martin, the 27-year-old woman who died of a drug overdose in August Busch IV’s mansion in 2010.

Martin’s mother, Christine Trampler, requested depositions of Busch and three others.  But Judge William Syler denied her request because it would further drag out the year-and-a-half old case.

A judge in Cape Girardeau has postponed approval of a $1.5 million settlement in a woman's death at the home of former Anheuser-Busch CEO August Busch IV.

Busch had offered the settlement to a lawsuit filed by the ex-husband of Adrienne Martin, who died of a drug overdose Dec. 19 in Busch's mansion near St. Louis.

A wrongful death suit has been filed against August Busch IV on behalf of the son of Busch's deceased girlfriend, Adrienne Martin, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

According to the newspaper:

The case, filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court, seeks unspecified damages on behalf of Blake Alexander Martin, age 8. His father, Dr. Kevin Martin, is a plaintiff as his guardian. The suit claims "carelessness and negligence" by Busch.

Updated 5:09 p.m. March 28, 2011 with additional reasons for leaving the board:

The St. Louis Business Journal reports other reasons for Busch's departure:

"For personal and health reasons August Busch IV has decided not to seek re-election at the annual shareholders meeting," A-B spokeswoman Marianne Amssoms said.

As updated 3:30 p.m. March 28, 2011:

The former CEO of Anheuser-Busch Cos., August A. Busch IV, will be leaving the board of Anheuser-Busch InBev following the annual shareholders' meeting, Bloomberg News reports:

The world’s largest brewer will ask investors on April 26 in Brussels to approve Olivier Goudet, chief financial officer of Mars Inc., and Paul Cornet de Ways Ruart as directors for a four-year term, according to the convening notice published on the company’s website. Goudet and Cornet will replace Jean-Luc Dehaene and Arnoud de Pret on AB InBev’s board, which will have 12 members following the departure of Busch.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, via the Associated Press, reports that the move is unrelated to the negative publicity surrounding Busch since the death of his girlfriend from a drug overdose late last year.

Busch's board seat was always considered a courtesy after Anheuser-Busch was sold to InBev in 2008, as InBev's board went to 13 seats from 12 previously. It will now revert to 12. Busch's term had always been scheduled to end next month, the newspaper said.

Updated 3:29 p.m. Feb. 10, 2011:

Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch announced today that Martin had lethal levels of both oxycodone and cocaine in her blood when she died, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. He said that neither Martin nor Busch had a prescription for the oxycodone.