Maryland has always held the drinker responsible for getting intoxicated and not the bar. In most cases I’ve always supported that position, but this is the kind of case that makes you question if that’s the right thing to do. Generally people make conscious sober decisions to get wasted, but that doesn’t mean somebody else shouldn’t use better judgement. Libby is right, how the hell did this guy still funciton? Life is never simple.
I have to wonder how the bar justified serving the same individual so many drinks in one night? Surely common sense should have kicked in at some point. I don’t want to hold the bars and restaurants for the actions of those who choose to drink and drive, but there really should be a limit on the amount of alcohol you can serve one individual at any one time.
Yes! A person should be solely responsible for his actions. I wonder, though. How many servers were there? Was he with a group? Did they not notice he had that many beers? Are they sure the receipt was accountable only for his drinks? Who can see, let alone walk after that many beers and drinks?
Adam, you are exactly right as the MD Supreme Court ruled a couple of weeks ago. I think the “better handled by the Assembly rather than the court” was a nod to that ruling, which literally made the same statement as a basis for their ruling.
You can’t say a person is solely responsible for their actions and then wonder if the people he was with noticed how much he had drunk. Either he is responsible or you pass it off onto the bar, the waitresses, his friends, etc. People will always find a way to blame someone else for their mistakes.
Wow! 17 beers and several drinks of hard liquor? I’m surprised he could even find his car, let alone start to drive.
Aside from the fact that’s a lot of alcohol, that’s a lot of liquid. Even over several hours, I don’t see how he could drink that much.
Maryland has always held the drinker responsible for getting intoxicated and not the bar. In most cases I’ve always supported that position, but this is the kind of case that makes you question if that’s the right thing to do. Generally people make conscious sober decisions to get wasted, but that doesn’t mean somebody else shouldn’t use better judgement. Libby is right, how the hell did this guy still funciton? Life is never simple.
I have to wonder how the bar justified serving the same individual so many drinks in one night? Surely common sense should have kicked in at some point. I don’t want to hold the bars and restaurants for the actions of those who choose to drink and drive, but there really should be a limit on the amount of alcohol you can serve one individual at any one time.
Yes! A person should be solely responsible for his actions. I wonder, though. How many servers were there? Was he with a group? Did they not notice he had that many beers? Are they sure the receipt was accountable only for his drinks? Who can see, let alone walk after that many beers and drinks?
Its a contributory negligence state…. I think the imbibed was at least 1 percent responsible.
Adam, you are exactly right as the MD Supreme Court ruled a couple of weeks ago. I think the “better handled by the Assembly rather than the court” was a nod to that ruling, which literally made the same statement as a basis for their ruling.
You can’t say a person is solely responsible for their actions and then wonder if the people he was with noticed how much he had drunk. Either he is responsible or you pass it off onto the bar, the waitresses, his friends, etc. People will always find a way to blame someone else for their mistakes.