Our Offices: Philadelphia, PA Moorestown, NJ
It’s St. Patrick’s Day! And while images of jolly leprechauns and green beer dance through your head, so too should the legal implications of dram shop law in Pennsylvania.
What is dram shop law?
Most commonly, we hear stories of an intoxicated patron leaving a bar and ending up causing or being the victim of a serious or fatal car accident. But the scope of dram shop liability is greater than that. In Pennsylvania, it is illegal for establishments serve minors or visibly intoxicated adults. Proving dram shop liability requires proof that (a) the Defendant establishment served alcohol to someone in one of these two categories and (b) that violation caused Plaintiff’s injuries and damages. This could apply to someone who is injured in a brawl outside a bar, someone who drunkenly slips and falls on their walk home, or a host of other injuries from motor vehicle accidents, trip and falls and/or physical altercations. Establishments guilty of dram shop violations may be subject to fines, revoking of liquor licenses and closures, and they could be liable in a civil suit for the damages they caused.
If you feel you or someone you know has been injured as a result of someone’s being overserved, call the personal injury lawyers at Leonard Sciolla today at (215) 567-1530.
