Have you seen the commercial on TV about the plastic dinnerware that looks expensive but is disposable? It’s the tag line that is both funny and sadly true, especially at the holidays: “Smarty Had A Party.”
Holiday parties are supposed to be fun. A good time was had by all, and so forth. Yet as party planners and hosts, we have responsibilities that sometimes we fail to consider.
One of the most important is the potential for a homeowner or a renter to face social host liability laws when serving liquor. Let’s be real here. It’s not easy to invite friends and relatives to a party and then take steps to limit their liquor consumption. It is much easier for a bartender to tell a stranger he or she has had enough or even too much. When the host is the bartender it can be a different story.
Just for the record, the legal term for criminal and civil responsibility of a person who furnishes liquor to a guest is known as “Dram Shop Liability.” Here’s what the party host should seriously consider in the planning process as well as during the event.
The victim of a drunk driver in many states including Georgia has a legal method to sue the person who served the alcohol, and under these laws criminal charges may also apply.