Super Bowl Party Hosts in Idaho Can Be Held Responsible for Drunk Guests
Uh oh. If someone gets intoxicated at your Super Bowl Party this weekend, you might have liability as the host.
This is a warning we can't ignore.
Idaho has a "social host liability" law that holds the party thrower liable in certain situations.
The website Nolo.com says In Idaho, a person who is "injured by the actions of an intoxicated individual may be able to bring a claim against any vendor or social host who provided the alcohol. These claims are known as dram shop or social host claims."
If a 19-year old at your party drinks and then goes out and gets into an accident, you can be held responsible.
Or if an adult gets smashed, and you as the host continue to serve alcohol to that person and he or she leaves the party and gets into a wreck,you can be held responsible.
Gosh, we were all excited about the big football party until now. Suddenly wanna move the fun to a friend's house? Scary stuff.
Any claims against the host have to be filed within 180 days of the injury.
I'm sure things will turn out just fine this weekend. Just don't let the underage drinking happen, and take the drinks away from everybody else in the third quarter so they've all got time to sober up.
Before this little bit of news, we party planners were busy trolling Pinterest for guacamole recipes thinking about how we might rearrange the living room to fit all the guests in. We weren't exactly thinking about the potential mess we could have on our hands once our friends walk out the front door.
Now we know. And we're suddenly adding plenty of water and coffee to the party menu.