Party Planning Guide 2007-2008
Civil Liability
While the law regarding civil liability is complex, it is important to know that under some circumstances party hosts, sponsors, bartenders or others might be held legally liable for the consequences of serving alcohol to underage drinkers or to obviously intoxicated persons. As a social host or party planner, you could be sued and potentially found personally liable for damages to the injured party(ies) in three ways:
Specific damages
These are damages that are measurable (for example, when bodily injury results in medical expenses or lost wages).
General damages
These are damages that cannot be specifically measured in terms of dollar amounts (for example, pain and suffering resulting from bodily injury).
Punitive damages
These are damages intended to serve as an example to others and to discourage behavior that is deemed highly undesirable to society.
