Holiday Hosting and DUI in RI

One area of holiday party-going that is rarely discussed is the role of the party host in drinking and driving incidences and charges. In particular, if you are hosting a party where there will be underage guests and you are serving alcohol, anyone who is subsequently charged with a DUI, DWI, or other related substance abuse while driving charge, you may be held responsible and could be subject to a lawsuit.
In Massachusetts for example, parents are legally liable if they serve alcohol to minors or allow any underage drinking on their property. Some states have laws that open party hosts to tickets and criminal charges for allowing underage drinking.
These laws are designed to protect teens from the harmful effects of alcohol, while making parents and hosts equally liable for damages caused by them in the event of an accident, injury, or property damage.
Some of the penalties for this can also involve a civil lawsuit, fines of upwards of thousands of dollars, and jail time, or all of these. Parents or hosts may also be required to pay medical bills and other damages suffered by the teen themselves, as well as any other person involved in the incident.
If you are a parent and are concerned about your teen's activities while you are not at home; which also falls under any host liability rules, contact S. Joshua Macktaz, an experienced DUI and Criminal Defense Attorney who can help you discover the answers to questions like, whether or not you need to lock up any alcohol while you are not home, whether the liability for social host in situations where teens have their own alcohol and are drinking without your knowledge, and whether your homeowner’s insurance will cover your losses.
The phone number for Attorney Macktaz is (401) 861-1155 and he can be reached by email at Joshua.Macktaz@gmail.com