Holding Adults Accountable for Giving Alcohol to Persons Under 21
Civil third-party liability imposed for damages caused by intoxicated persons under age 21.
On Tuesday April 18, 2000 Minnesota Governor Ventura signed this bill into law. The law became active in August 2000.
Facts on Civil Cause of Action
This bill would allow anyone injured by an underage drinker the legal right to hold the adult who provided the alcohol accountable for his or her damages. (civil cause of action)
This right currently exists in cases where the alcohol was illegally sold to an underage drinker. The injured person has a clear legal right to hold the establishment accountable. Why should it matter to the injured person where the underage drinker got their alcohol? In both types of cases the injury occurred as the result of an illegal act.
This new law will provide an additional tool to parents to help them say no to youth asking them to provide alcohol. It will also provide a strong deterrent to adults who consider breaking the law and providing alcohol to youth.
Adults are the main source of alcohol for underage drinkers. If we hope to reduce underage drinking we must stop adult provision of alcohol to underage youth!
Adults are the ones who produce, promote and profit from alcohol. They need to be held accountable for damages if they illegally provide alcohol to youth.