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Social Host Liability?

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haroldroarke

Junior Member
What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? PA

I'm not sure where to post this, so I'll try here. I was a teacher at a community college. One day I drove a few students to a local bar, and it turns out that one of the students was underage, 20 years old. He used fake ID to drink alcohol. Nothing happened, everyone was safe. But the father of the underage person complained to the school over what I did, and I was fired, because IF an injury occured to the student I would have gotten the school in trouble. My question is: could I, in any way, have been considered a "social host" and be subjected to liability as a result, even though we were all guests in a bar? I contend that the underage person was still an adult, responsible for his own actions, and I didn't serve drinks or even buy drinks, nor did I have control over the premises. I merely drove them there and was in the same room. I don't know how they can even say I assisted drinking since a person with usable fake ID can get alcohol anywhere, with or without me. It seems to me that a host has to be the one serving or furnishing the drinks, but legally I'm not sure how it is defined. Thank you.
 


BelizeBreeze

Senior Member
If you think that a 20 year-old is an adult in the eyes of the law which would negate your responsibility, you have more problems than an understanding of 'social host'.
 

I AM ALWAYS LIABLE

Senior Member
haroldroarke said:
What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? PA

I'm not sure where to post this, so I'll try here. I was a teacher at a community college. One day I drove a few students to a local bar, and it turns out that one of the students was underage, 20 years old. He used fake ID to drink alcohol. Nothing happened, everyone was safe. But the father of the underage person complained to the school over what I did, and I was fired, because IF an injury occured to the student I would have gotten the school in trouble. My question is: could I, in any way, have been considered a "social host" and be subjected to liability as a result, even though we were all guests in a bar? I contend that the underage person was still an adult, responsible for his own actions, and I didn't serve drinks or even buy drinks, nor did I have control over the premises. I merely drove them there and was in the same room. I don't know how they can even say I assisted drinking since a person with usable fake ID can get alcohol anywhere, with or without me. It seems to me that a host has to be the one serving or furnishing the drinks, but legally I'm not sure how it is defined. Thank you.

My response:

Your argument sounds like, "But your Honor . . . I didn't know she was 15. She looks 18, and said she was 18. She even has great looking, huge, boobs. That's why I boinked her!"

Same argument.

You not only "facilitated" a minor, but if you were drinking alcohol too, then you would have, at least, been driving "impaired" - - with a vehicle full of students, thus placing the school at risk.

IAAL
 

haroldroarke

Junior Member
thanks for the replies, but

Thanks for the replies. To the last guy, it's not the same argument at all. If the girl presented ID to another man, and he - not me - did the boinking, well, that might be slightly more accurate. And BTW, I didn't drink, and that's not in dispute.
 

HomeGuru

Senior Member
haroldroarke said:
Thanks for the replies. To the last guy, it's not the same argument at all. If the girl presented ID to another man, and he - not me - did the boinking, well, that might be slightly more accurate. And BTW, I didn't drink, and that's not in dispute.

**A: the boinking analogy by IAAL is entirely correct.
 

rmet4nzkx

Senior Member
Since you were a professor, you had access to their records and actual age and thus would or should have known their real age, your claim that they had a false ID does not absolve you of responsibility for this minor,but rather, compounds it. Thus the analogy of "Bonking" applies, even though that knowledge is not required. In most cases, statutes state that knowledge of the real age is not a defense. You are lucky that the minor was not cited. One of your roles as a professor is demonstrate good judgement. You have never stated the purpose of this little "field trip".
 

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