Legal Question in Legal Ethics in Minnesota
liability
My company is hosting a party on a city owned site. Our caterer has a liquor license. Who would be held responsible if something were to happen?? The caterer, our company, the city?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: liability
It depends on what happens. If the caterer is dispensing alcohol, it must comply with the law governing the provision of alcohol to minors, and to people who are obviously intoxicated, for example. They would be liable for violations of the law in that connection, and possibly for damages flowing from that. It is possible your company could be liable, depending upon how it handles the party, but it would not likely have liability stemming from the dispensation of alcohol. The city would be probably be immune. Without knowing more facts, it is rather difficult to speculate about the potential liability of each party, however.
Often, however, the issue is not who may be liable, but who is the most likely to pay in the event of a suit, or who has insurance.