Question

Will I be liable for someone leaving my house drunk and getting a DUI?

If someone left your house drunk and got a DUI are you liable?
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Law Office of Thomas F. Mueller
Law Office of Thomas F. Mueller | Thomas Mueller
95 S Market St Ste 300 - San Jose, CA 95113 | 408 292-1564
You are not criminally liable unless you forced them to drive or the driver was a juvenile. But you may be held civilly liable ( get sued ) if you were negligent ( knew he was drunk yet allowed him to drive away without stopping or warning him ).

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 9/1/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

Answered By: Law Office of Daniel K Martin
Generally no however this question cannot be answered definitely because the law is constantly changing. Many years ago California held bar owners liable for serving alcohol to patrons that were too drunk to drive. There are have cases where a person has been liable for serving alcohol to a person who left and injured someone because they were too drunk. To be on the safe side you should be careful to monitor every person's consumption while at your house. If a person appears to have consumed too much, politely insist that they leave or stop consuming alcohol until you are comfortable with the situation.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 9/5/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

Answered By: Law Office of Tracey S. Sang
This is not a criminal law question, it's civil. You will find most of the answers you need by doing internet research on "social hosts." Often any resulting damage may be covered by your insurance.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 9/4/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

Answered By: Law Office of Eric Sterkenburg
You are not liable for the DUI arrest. You would only be liable for damages under some instances.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 9/1/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

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