That Extra Drink You Serve Can Be Costly

It’s summertime and the sun is shining; it’s the perfect conditions for a backyard party or barbeque. We invite our friends and family over, and while most of our guests will bring their own drinks, we’ll also dutifully take orders and deliver a variety of drinks to our thirsty guests.

Like most parties, we‘ll trust our guests to monitor and limit their alcohol consumption because after all, we’re all adults. But there’s always a chance that someone will drink too much and become intoxicated.

At this point, the host may not realize the severity of the situation. An intoxicated guest could fall and injure themselves, damage other people’s property or cause an accident with injuries while driving impaired. A lawsuit may arise from any of these situations, and more often today when alcohol has been served, the courts are holding the hosts accountable for their guests’ actions. In other words, the host will be sued,

There are ways to protect yourself when serving alcohol to guests at your home. When they first arrive, find out if they have a designated driver or how they plan to get home. Also be sure to offer non-alcoholic drinks and food throughout the day. If a guest seems intoxicated and insists on driving home, take away their keys, offer them a place to sleep or order them a cab.

If you’re planning this year to host a larger party or event at your home or at a venue, such as a birthday party, wedding shower or family reunion, they require careful planning and are more difficult to monitor due to number of guests. It only takes the actions of one intoxicated guest to create an issue.

For these larger events, a Liquor Liability insurance policy* is the perfect solution. They’re designed specifically for hosted events with alcohol and they protect the host from bodily injury and property damage lawsuits. Not only do they offer peace of mind; they are inexpensive, they offer liability limits up to $5 million and they prevent any alcohol-related claims from impacting your Homeowners policy.

If you are planning to host an event this year, please contact us and we can discuss your needs.

* Please note that a liquor liability policy does not exclude the requirement to purchase a liquor license if necessary.