social host

noun

: a person who furnishes another with alcohol in a social setting and not as a licensed vendor
courts…reluctant to impose liability on social hosts based on…negligence principles alone, without the support of express legislative policyFerreira v. Strack, 652 A.2d 965 (1995)

Note: Social hosts have sometimes been found criminally liable for serving alcohol to a minor or to an already usually obviously intoxicated person, and have sometimes been found civilly liable for injury to or by an intoxicated minor. Less often, a social host has been found civilly liable for subsequent injury to a third party caused by an intoxicated adult guest, especially in an automobile accident.

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Cite this Entry

“Social host.” Merriam-Webster.com Legal Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/legal/social%20host. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

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