Both the State Senate and Assembly are now looking to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign AB 2486 into a law. AB 2486 would allow party hosts to be sued if they serve alcohol to a minor who is subsequently injured or killed.
AB 2486, also known as the Teen Alcohol Safety Act of 2010, was authored by Los Angeles Assemblyman Mike Feuer. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the bill passed with a 72-1 vote in the Assembly and a unanimous vote in favor of the bill in the Senate.
"It's a rare opportunity in public service to be able to author legislation that literally could save someone's life," Mike Feuer said in the San Francisco Chronicle. "This is one of those bills, as we know from the tragedies that precede it. The stakes are very high here."
The passage of the Teen Alcohol Safety Act of 2010 probably won't have much of an effect on the criminal cases for those that have been accused of driving under the influence. However, holding the host liable for providing alcohol will probably lead to many more civil lawsuits in California. Perhaps a Los Angeles DUI attorney will soon be helping out with the defense of adults being sued for providing alcohol to minors at parties.
It seems that the bill had a great amount of supporters, in addition to the large number of lawmakers that voted for the passage of AB 2496. Consumer Attorneys of California and Mothers Against Drunk Driving that voiced their approval of the Teen Alcohol Safety Act.
Related Resources:
-
Underage Drinking Continues to Plague Colleges (FindLaw's KnowledgeBase)
-
Contact a Los Angeles DUI Defense Lawyer (FindLaw)
-
Teen Drunk Driving Statistics Demand Attention (FindLaw's KnowledgeBase)
ShareThis
