Miscellaneous

Moms Don't Let their Kid's Friends Drive Drunk

One of the laws we spend a lot of time on in first-year Torts was the dram shop laws, which hold bars and liquor stores liable if they sell alcohol to a visibly drunk person or a minor who goes out and injures someone while intoxicated. That same liability, of course, extends to serving alcohol to minors or other drunks at a house party, which briefly made many a law student nervous about refilling a buddy's shot glass while he was at their house. Here's why:

A Lake Forest woman's homeowners insurance will pay $2.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by a young man who was paralyzed in a crash that occurred after an underage drinking party in her home.

The settlement between Lauralee Pfeifer, whose teenage daughters hosted the party, and George Baldwin, 22, was approved Wednesday by Judge Christopher Starck in Lake County Circuit Court.

In 2006, Baldwin, then a 19-year-old Lake Forest High School graduate, went to Pfeifer's home with a friend, William Klairmont, then 18 and also from Lake Forest. They were visiting Pfeifer's daughters, and all drank beer in the girls' bedroom.

Klairmont was intoxicated when he drove home and lost control of his car in Lake Bluff, said Patrick Salvi, Baldwin's lawyer. Baldwin, a passenger, was injured.

And that, folks, is why all your parties should have a key master.

Full post as published by Quiz Law on February 12, 2009 (boomark / email).