Ballin & Associates
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Philosophy
    • Practice Areas >
      • Motor Vehicle Accidents
      • Wrongful Death
      • Brain Injuries
      • Workplace Injuries
      • On-Duty Police Injuries
      • On-Duty Firefighter Injuries
      • Defective Premises
      • Slips, Trips & Falls
      • Injuries to Children
      • Defective Products
      • Assaults
      • Negligent Security
      • Inadequate Warnings
      • Inadequately Trained Employees
    • Attorneys >
      • Steve Ballin
      • Richard Miller
      • Paul Johnson
      • Zachary Ballin
      • Jared Ballin
    • Results
    • Compensation
    • Referrals
    • Charitable Giving
    • VIDEO VAULT
  • PERSONAL INJURY
  • POLICE
    • Areas of Practice >
      • Cruiser & Motorcycle Accidents
      • Stolen MV Pursuits
      • Directing Traffic
      • Road Jobs & Other Details
      • Resisting Arrest & Protective Custody
      • Defective Premises
      • Dog Bites & Knockdowns
      • Domestic Disputes
      • Foot Pursuits
      • Injuries During Rescues
      • Ice & Snow
      • Shootings
      • Toxic Substance & Disease Exposure
    • FAQ's
    • Departments Served >
      • Testimonials
    • Workshops
    • Results
  • FAQ's
    • I Was in Crash. Now What?
    • Choosing a Lawyer
    • Compensation
    • Filing a Claim
    • Types of Accidents & Injuries
    • Do I Have to go to Court?
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT

UNDERAGE DRINKING PARTY COSTS PARENTS $125,000

10/1/2014

 
Picture
The police arrive at a suburban home in response to reports of a late night underage drinking party where they find a crowd of 75 youths in and outside the home. Fearful mostly of what their parents will do if they are caught, the underage drinkers (…you guessed it…) run in all directions. The police do their best to round them up in the dark to make sure they get home safely. Running after one of the youths, an officer falls down a dark stairway behind the house and suffers a fractured ankle.

Our cases involving injured officers or guests at underage parties have two recurring storylines.First, the parents (who are often home at the time of the party) claim to have no idea what is going on in their homes. Second, no one knows who supplied the alcoholic beverages. The case you just read about is no exception. The parents were home. They testified they did not supply, control, or even know that there was alcohol at their child’s party. The father went even further, boldly testifying that it was no concern of his if a drunken teenager got hurt at his home. He would not even agree that he needs to keep his home safe for visitors.Needless to say, we were pleased to collect $125,000 on the officer’s claim against the parents.

Underage drinking parties in homes endanger our youth, all of us on the road and our police officers who respond to these parties. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people between the ages of 12 and 20 drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the U.S. – 90% of which is consumed in the form of binge drinking. In 2010 there were 189,000 emergency room visits involving persons under 21 years old linked to alcohol. Worse yet, each year 4,300 youths die due to alcohol consumption.

Despite these alarming statistics, current Massachusetts law only allows us to hold the parents civilly responsible for allowing these parties in their homes if we can first prove the parents supplied or controlled the alcoholic beverages. However, just as we did in the case you just read about, we have successfully made recoveries on the strength of arguments that there were other dangerous conditions, which contributed to the injury, e.g., lack of lighting, broken stairs, or missing railings.

​- Steven M. Ballin, Esq


Comments are closed.

    ARCHIVES

    October 2018
    July 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    August 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    October 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    September 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    CATEGORIES

    All
    Featured Articles
    Insurance
    Jared Ballin
    Mass Heroes
    Paul Johnson
    Police
    Results
    Richard Miller
    Steven Ballin
    Zachary Ballin

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.