#VenueAccidentlyServedAlcohol #MinorsAndMedicalConditions #WeddingVenueIssues #AlcoholFreeOptions
🚨 Venue Accidentally Served Alcohol to Minors and People with Medical Conditions 🚨
Imagine celebrating your special day at a beautiful wedding venue, only to have it tainted by a dangerous mishap. This was the unfortunate reality for one individual who attended a wedding where the venue mistakenly served alcohol-infused lemonade to minors and individuals with medical conditions. The repercussions of this oversight were severe, causing panic attacks and potential health risks for those affected.
## The Problem: Negligent Service Leading to Health Risks
A wedding venue was serving lemonade to all during cocktail hour, without properly disclosing that it contained alcohol. This lack of transparency put minors and individuals with medical conditions at risk, as they unknowingly consumed the spiked beverage. The consequences of this negligence were significant, with one individual experiencing allergic reactions and panic attacks due to alcohol consumption.
## Practical Solutions: Taking Action and Seeking Resolution
### 1. Seek Legal Advice and Guidance
It is crucial to seek legal advice from a qualified professional to understand your rights and options in this situation. A legal expert can help you navigate the process of seeking compensation for the harm caused by the venue’s negligence.
### 2. Document and Preserve Evidence
Gather all relevant evidence, such as medical records, witness statements, and correspondence with the venue. This documentation will strengthen your case and support your claims in any legal proceedings or discussions with the venue.
### 3. Demand Accountability and Transparency
Hold the venue accountable for their actions by demanding a thorough investigation and transparency regarding their safety protocols. Insist on clear explanations and assurances that such incidents will not occur in the future to protect other guests from similar harm.
### 4. Prioritize Health and Well-being
Prioritize your health and well-being by seeking medical attention if you have experienced any adverse effects from consuming alcohol without your consent. Your safety and recovery should be your top priority in dealing with the aftermath of this incident.
### 5. Raise Awareness and Advocate for Change
Share your story and raise awareness about the risks of serving alcohol to vulnerable populations without proper disclosure. Advocate for stricter regulations and protocols to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future and protect the safety of all guests at events.
In conclusion, facing a situation where a venue accidentally serves alcohol to minors and individuals with medical conditions can be distressing and harmful. By taking proactive steps to seek legal advice, document evidence, demand accountability, prioritize health, and raise awareness, you can address the issue effectively and work towards a resolution that ensures the safety of all guests. Do not hesitate to take action and advocate for change to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. Stay informed, empowered, and vigilant in protecting your rights and well-being in similar situations.
You could request to be reimbursed for any direct medical costs associated with the mistake and you can figure out what government body deals with liquor licensing in the town/city/county of the venue and report the issue. But it’s not gonna be any sort of billboard lawsuit.
Whoops.
The set of facts will be important: was it prepackaged “hard lemonade”, or were they serving both alcohol-free and alcohol-containing lemonade, were the bartenders venue employees, and so on.
>We reached out to the venue’s assigned coordinator the second day after the wedding
Are you the happy couple, and/or did you rent the venue ?
If I were the venue, I would be having my attorney write a generous confidential settlement of claims for that adult, and each of the minor children’s parents, and to you.
The adult should compile her medical bills and request reimbursement. Ideally, the venue would also give a small sum to the toddlers’ parents and to you.
Legally, there isn’t a cause of action *simply* because someone screwed up, or because that screw-up *could* have caused major injuries.
If the “many people” didn’t immediately notice the alcohol (and if the toddlers didn’t immediately spit out the lemonade) the alcohol content was probably very low. Obviously the venue made a major, potentially devastating mistake – but it doesn’t sound like anyone suffered injury as a result of that mistake.
This doesn’t answer your question, but I think you also need to protect yourself in this situation. If you haven’t done so already, I would notify all guests of what happened. You contracted a venue, selected a hard lemonade as your drink of choice, they served that to minors, and then you proceeded to move forward with the special day. While none of that is your fault, it is still your duty to notify all guests.
Depends where you are located but do they need to hold a liquor license to serve alcohol? Could report then to the licensing authority
They have insurance for this right here. They have to cover all medical expenses for any injured party. So if someone went to the hospital the venue has to pay the medical bills.
Try to get in writing what happened. There’s a high likelihood if any minors or parents of minors mention this to a professional whose facility has a blanket CPS overreporting policy, it will get screened in and investigated. It’s highly likely a kid will go to school and say they drank alcohol at a wedding. The parents will then need something demonstrating that professional servers screwed up, rather than it being some wild free-for-all with unattended alcohol. I frequently see supported allegations for things like a toddler picking up a drink and taking a swig at a family meal where no one is drunk, parent taking it right away once they saw, and no harm coming to the child. Case law allows them to support for “could have been harmed” and for actions caused by other adults (“choosing inappropriate caregivers/supervision”). If any parent faces an investigation, even your sent email (“hey, your servers stated this didn’t contain alcohol but it did”) will be helpful. But try to get a reply in writing.
>The supervisor reached out in a vague email, asking to set up a phone call to discuss our “concerns.” Any advice on any action that we should take and the process of said action?
My advice is to have the discussion via email.
Their email was vague because they realize they are in a hole of liability, and by have the discussion by phone there will be no record of their admitting that liability.