Transportation

Potentially. A professional bartender will know when to appropriately cut someone off. If you are leaving your bar wide open (i.e. self-serve), that seems more risky. Many venues require couples to purchase insurance to protect against this very situation.

This will depend on your local jurisdiction, but I think, generally, you won't be held liable for adults drinking and driving. Hosts can definitely be liable for underage drinking though. Licensed bartenders are trained not to over serve, which is why they are always a good idea.

They should know when they should stop or hopefully the bartender would know when to call it quits. Transportation would easier if everyone was staying in the same hotel or close by. There are also taxis and Uber/Lyft but like Stacey said, definitely look into insurance just to be fully protected.

I think the bartender is the one responsible for knowing when someone has been over-served. But maybe contact the local police department to ask. And if you’re still concerned, maybe you can shut the bar down early. Best wishes to you!

This is such an American problem.

In Australia our laws are 'common sense' based and will not impose liability in situations where people themselves caused the problem - i.e. if you drink and get behind the wheel, you should have known better than to do that, the bartender who served your drink or the person who supplied the alcohol to the bartender have nothing to do with your own stupidity in knowingly driving while intoxicated.

But, I gather from the question that you do not live in my country, obviously! TBH I don't think police are the ones *necessarily* to ask as they only enforce the law, they don't deal with liability or applying the law in court. I would do some research on your state's laws, if they exist, to see if there is anything on this. Otherwise, if the option is available to you, try reach out to a free legal centre and see if they can assist.

I would definitely look into your individual state laws. In Canada:

“Bartenders and other licensed establishments have a clear legal duty to cut out the alcohol if patrons seem intoxicated and to ensure they get home safely. For individuals who throw private parties, the law isn’t so clear. However, the risk of legal liability does exist, and the scope of hosts’ legal responsibilities may be broadening.”

Seems like if a bartender is serving, they hold the liability. if there is no licensed bar tender, the host may be responsible.

View Quoted Comment Lol its 2020 and unfortunately common sense laws are taboo in America. Many don’t like the idea of personal responsibility anymore.

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It's ridiculous! I was there last year and talking to family about the differences in our legal systems (I'm a lawyer) and how here you will be held responsible for things you've caused, you can't sue someone without a viable cause that has prospects of success, and you can claim costs for legal fees (i.e. if you sue me over something trivial and I incur lots of fees in fighting the case and win, I can seek an order for you to pay my legal fees) and our relatives were stunned by it!

I would sure hope that OP (and others) wouldn't be liable for a wedding guest making the wrong decision...

View Quoted Comment Believe it or not in many states, if not all, mine included at least, the bartender will be held accountable and could also face jail time. They could be charged with murder(I believe negligence specifically) if someone dies as a result. I love my country but I have to say, many people feel as though they don’t need to have any personal responsibility for themselves and want our government and everyone else to babysit them. And if we don’t, we end up paying the consequences more so than the losers that put themselves in bad situations. Nevertheless its my home and I still love it lol 🇺🇸♥️