Legal Question in Civil Litigation in New Jersey

There are three people in a car when the car parked in a liquor store parking lot. After parking, the driver (21) gets out of the car and goes into the store to buy alcohol for himself. The passengers, both 20, remain by the car. When the driver comes out of the store, he places the alcohol in the back seat. Before the driver has a chance to turn the car on, two undercover police officers approach. They claim that the driver was buying alcohol for minors, even though there is no proof. This was not even the case. The alcohol was for the driver, who legally obtained it. The driver was issued a citation for providing alcohol to minors, and the passengers were issued citations for underage possession of alcohol. Will this hold up in front of a judge? Was this officer justified in issuing citations without any proof other than his own opinion? Thank you for any help.


Asked on 4/21/12, 9:38 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
John Corbett Corbett Law Firm LLC

Both the driver and the two others need representation by counsel. My intuition is that the driver should be separately represented. I don't handle these types of offenses so you can treat that advice as being unbiased. The consequences of an alcohol related offense for each of these defendants should not be minimized. Get a lawyer.

See also: http://info.corbettlaw.net/lawguru.htm

Read more
Answered on 4/21/12, 4:24 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More General Civil Litigation questions and answers in New Jersey