Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Virginia
providing alcohol to minors
I'm 19, and recently had a large
party with alcohol at my house.
When the police were called, I asked
everyone to leave. One guest did not
leave, but stayed behind in the
street.
The guest was 21, and had stopped
by my party for a short time. He was
drunk, but had gotten drunk
elsewhere.
When the police came, he went up
to them and yelled at them. He was
charged with assault, drunk in public,
and supplying alcohol to minors.
The issue is that he did not bring
alcohol to my party, it was me and
other people who supplied it.
When I talked to the police right
after he was arrested, they told me I
would not be charged unless it
happened again, because I was very
polite and respectful.
Now this 21 year old guest thinks I
should pay his fines because he got
arrested for providing alcohol when it
was my house, and he had not even
provided alcohol.
I refused to give him any money and
he now says he will take me to court
to try and get me charged for
providing alcohol instead of him.
Is it possible that he will get his
charges dropped and get me in
trouble even though the police officer
said I was getting off?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: providing alcohol to minors
If there were no underage partiers charged at your house, and you yourself were not charged, it would be very unlikely that the police would now decide to do so (charge you).
Their focus should remain on "BIG MOUTH" who apparently got himself charged through his own stupid and, apparently, alcoholically stimulated behaviour outside your residence on a public street. Nor do I see any basis
for this person to bring a civil action against you for the recovery of fines which he brought on himself through his own most inappropriate and ill-advised conduct towards the police.