When You’re Serving Alcohol At A Party You Could Be Held Liable For Your Guests Actions

The holiday season is coming upon us quickly and as some things begin to return to pre-pandemic norms you may be considering having a holiday party or get-together at your home.  You may be considering what type of food to serve, who to invite, and whether or not you will provide alcohol to your guests.  It is this last point we want to touch on as there are some things to consider around serving your guests alcohol.

In the state of Connecticut if you serve your guests alcohol at a party at your home and then that guest leaves your home and gets into an Connecticut auto accident you can be held liable for any injury or death that occurs as a result of the accident.  It is for this reason and the safety of your guests that you need to be aware of the possible dangers of serving alcohol at your home.

The good news is that there are some things you can do to protect yourself and keep your guests safe while also serving alcohol at your party.  

1. Only serve alcohol for a portion of the party.  If your party is three hours long you may want to make alcohol only available for the first hour and a half for your guests.  
2. Collect the keys of all your guests when they arrive so that when they go to leave if you deem them to be intoxicated you can arrange a ride for them to get home and return in the morning to pick up their car.
3. Make Uber or Lyft available to all attendees and make sure they have the information to call a ride share if they are leaving your party after having consumed alcohol.
4. Allow your guests to spend the night if they have had too much to drink.  While this may not be the optimal solution it will certainly protect you and keep your guests safe until she/he sobers up.

The holidays are a time for celebration and having fun with friends and family and especially this year since things are finally returning to some level of normalcy they will be a time to raise a glass, but this should not come with additional damage or liability for you as the homeowner who is throwing the party.  It is your responsibility to reduce the risk that a Connecticut auto accident will occur after a guest leaves your party.  

If you’re excited to throw a holiday party this year, we don’t blame you, just make sure you are doing it in a safe and healthy way so your guests don’t get injured or injure someone along the way.  

Have a safe and happy holiday season from all of us as at McEnery Price Messey & Sullivan LLC.