The State - News from Feb. 4, 1986

A state Court of Appeal in San Francisco ruled that hosts who serve alcohol to minors are not liable if the minor later causes an automobile accident. The case involved a youth who became drunk during a Halloween party at a friend’s home in San Jose. While racing his car at 70 m.p.h., the youth’s car was involved in a head-on collision with another motorist. One person died and two others were badly hurt. The appellate court ruled, however, that a suit stemming from the 1981 accident had to be thrown out because the Legislature passed a statute in 1978 granting social hosts immunity from liability. The 1978 statute says hosts are only liable if they serve minors who are obviously drunk.