Watch out young California party hosts, the California Supreme Court has ruled hosts can be liable for the actions of drunken party guests if (1) there is a cover charge; and (2) alcohol was served to an obviously intoxicated minor party guest who later causes damage to another (click here for the court’s opinion). In this case, the California Supreme Court ruled asking guests to pay a $3 to $5 admission fee to help pay for alcohol constituted a cover charge.
This ruling primarily affects parties for the high school and college crowd, but could apply to any party where there is a cover charge and alcohol is served to an obviously intoxicated minor.
For more on this case, see this San Jose Mercury News article.
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