August Busch IV Slapped With Wrongful Death Suit

August Busch IV

​The Post-Dispatch reports that August Busch IV has been sued in St. Louis County Circuit Court over the death last December of his girlfriend, Adrienne Martin.

The wrongful death lawsuit was filed today on behalf of Martin's eight-year-old son, Blake Alexander Martin. Blake's father, Kevin Martin, is also listed as a plaintiff, since he is the boy's legal guardian.

The suit is somewhat surprising given how Kevin Martin seemed to bend over backwards to defend Busch IV after his ex-wife was found dead in the beer scion's mansion. Back then, Kevin Martin told media how much he respected Busch IV and suggested that perhaps his ex-wife died from some strange heart condition that only he knew about.

Investigators eventually could find no proof of that heart condition and ruled that Adrienne Martin died from an oxycodone overdose while also having fatal amounts of cocaine in her system at the time of her death. St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch determined that Martin's death was an accident and wouldn't bring any criminal charges against Busch IV, who had refused to cooperate with the investigation. It remains unclear how Adrienne Martin gained access to the drugs that killed her.

Apparently, Busch IV has already filed a response to the lawsuit denying negligence, and a judge agreed to transfer the case to Cape Girardeau, where Kevin Martin and his father reside. This week, Busch IV stepped down from the board of Anheuser-Busch InBev. His family no longer has any involvement in the brewery that bears its name.