5 Ways to Avoid Being Held Responsible For Underaged Drinking In Your Home at Graduation Parties

Don’t Be Held Financially or Criminally Liable for Underage Drinking At Your Graduation Party

Graduates: You put in your hard time, wrote all your papers, and completed your exams – now it’s time throw a graduation party! If your parents are planning on hosting a graduation party at their house, you and they want to take some precautions to avoid serious trouble.

Parents: You are proud of your children. They worked hard and are ready to graduate from high school. They have asked you for permission to have a party or you want to celebrate their achievements. But you don’t want to be financially responsible if anyone gets drunk or high and becomes injured as a result of your event.

Parties, Minors and Alcohol Don’t Mix in Pennsylvania

If you have a party in your home or your children decide to throw a party without your knowledge, you could be held responsible for any resulting injuries under Pennsylvania Social Host Liability Laws.

The Pennsylvania Social Liability Law applies to situations where adults allow minors to drink alcohol in their homes. When a minor drinks alcohol in someone’s home and then gets injured or injures someone else, the owner of the home can be held both financially and criminally liable.  Liability attaches regardless of whether you knew about underaged drinking in your home. So it is critical that you take steps to protect your children, their friends and yourself.

Avoid Trouble in Your Home

Here are some ways to avoid being held responsible for the dangerous conduct of inebriated minors:

• Never allow alcohol to be served to minors in your home.
• Make certain that alcohol is not available in your home if your children are holding a party. Keep it locked up safe.
• Provide adult supervision any time your children are holding an event in your house.
• If, despite your efforts, a child seems intoxicated, provide safe transportation home.
• Don’t allow intoxicated minors near swimming pools or other potentially dangerous locations.

Unfortunately Accidents do Happen

If the worst happens and you or a loved one are injured by an intoxicated minor, your lawyer needs to find out how that minor got drunk. At Lowenthal & Abrams, we have 40 years of experience representing injury victims. Contact us so we can help you determine the source of your injury and make sure that the appropriate parties are held responsible for their conduct.