The following is a guest post by Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes:
As graduation season is here, many people will be hosting end of school or summer parties. For many people, serving alcohol to guests has become a norm when throwing parties. However, we all know that combining alcohol with young people often leads to excesses which sometimes end in serious injuries or even deaths. Now, is a host who provides free alcohol at a party at risk for being sued if one of the guests injures or kills another person in a car accident after leaving his or her party?
In the state of Florida, the answer to the question above is almost always “no”. A party’s host is not liable for the drunken or impaired behavior of any of his or her party guests unless:
- A host has served alcohol or has allowed alcohol to be served to a person who is still under the age of 21. When this individual becomes intoxicated and injures another party, the host may be held partially liable for the injury. The host may be sued for damages incurred due to the injury.
- A host serves alcohol to a guest who is known to be alcoholic and this person becomes intoxicated. If as a result of the intoxication this guest injures another party, then the host may be held liable.
So, enjoy all the graduation celebrations that you’ll be hosting but please remember to do things responsibly. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to throw the best party of the season, but be smart. Stay away from liability by not serving alcohol to anyone underage or to an alcoholic.
Personal Injury Attorney Matthew Noyes‘ Tampa Bay law firm – Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes, P.A.– has been caring for clients since 1955. They conduct consultations for cases pertaining to Florida car accident, motorcycle accident, bicycle accident, Florida workers’ compensation accident or any other personal injury matter.