Drunken Drivers May Sue Dram Shops That Served Them Prior to Accidents
A New Jersey appeals court ruled Wednesday that liquor establishments are not protected by a state law that bars drunken drivers involved in accidents from suing other parties for economic and noneconomic damages. While the decision is the first by a state appeals court to explicitly deprive licensed premises of immunity in such cases, dram shops are not the first class of defendants to see plaintiffs overcome the general bar on claims by drunken drivers arising from their accidents.
