Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Georgia
Bye the entire bar a round for an accident!!
I throw darts in a dart league every Wednesday. Last week I accidentally discharged some pepper spray and pretty much cleared the bar out. I thought it was a lighter and in trying to light my cigarette sprayed myself in the face. I apologized to everyone again and again. People were kind of jokingly giving me a hard time. I made sure to apologize to the bar owner personally. I didn't really think much more about it. This week when I showed up the owner comes up to me and tells me that I owe him money for every drink that was on a table that he had to replace because of the pepper spray. Being a rather large sum of money, I was wondering if he can hold me legally responsible for the accident? If I had done it on purpose I could see where I could be held responsible, but that's where the law is a little grey. I have been a patron of this place for many years and tried to reason with him, but he will not have it. He wants the money, end of story.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Bye the entire bar a round for an accident!!
You have to decide which is better: to pay the bill, since you caused the damage (remember, even a driver of a car who causes an accident unintentionally is liable for damages) or let him sue you, which will probably result in a bad relationship even if (and especially if) you win.
Re: Bye the entire bar a round for an accident!!
He has a good claim based on the post. People generally are responsible for the damage they cause, and being responsible for your actions does not refer only to intentional acts. You say you could understand being liable if you intentionally set off the spray, but the bar owner didn't do anything, accidentally or otherwise, to cause the damage. I am not sure why you believe he should pay for the damages for something you did through negligence. There really is not a "grey" area based on your post. The bar lost money on the drinks, and probably some additional business. The right thing to do is compensate the owner for some of those losses, which may be less than you would have to pay in a lawsuit.
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