AboutPaul D. Friedman, M.A., Ph.D., J.D. Expertise I have been a practicing civil trial attorney since 1989 and have a master's degree in bioethics and a doctorate of philosophy in comparative ethics of law, medicine and business.
I am Certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and am Certified as a Specialist in Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation by the State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization.
Experience Experience in the area I have been a practicing trial attorney since 1989 and I have a masters degree in bioethics and a doctorate of philosophy regarding comparative ethics.
Organizations belong to State Bar of Arizona
State Bar of Colorado (inactive)
District of Columbia Bar (inactive)
Federal Bar
Licensed in Arizona District Court
Licensed in Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Licensed in the United States Supreme Court American Bar Association National Board of Trial Advocacy
American Association for Justice
Arizona Trial Lawyers Association
American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Kennedy Institute of Ethics National Association of Realtors
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Arts 1985
Juris Doctorate 1989
Master of Arts in Bioethics 2004 Doctorate of Philosphy 2006
Awards and Honors Phi Beta Kappa
Multiple Who's Who
Publications A list of my copyrighted publications and presentations is contained at WWW.EXPERTETHICS.COM
Question my son is 19 and sometimes has 1 - 3 friends over and they drink. i have never provided the alcohol. they come in a back door after i've gone to bed and i never know they are there until the next morning. i've talked with my son about it and he knows i'm not ok with it. he does tell me that he insists anyone who comes over and drinks has to spend the night and even though i'm not happy when i see them sleeping in the morning, at least i feel better that they stayed. will i be held responsible if something happens? they're underage for drinking but over 18 and supposedly legally responsible for themselves and i'm not providing anything for them. i don't think i'm doing anything wrong but other people tell me because it's in my house i would be held responsible for whatever happens in it. what if i'm on vacation? i'm confused. i don't want to be held responsible for the actions of others. what do i do?
Answer Mary B,
The simple answer to your question is probably yes. It depends on your jurisdiction but you may be held criminally liable as well as civilly liable. It may meet the requirements for aiding with the delinquency of an underage individual and you may be negligent for allowing underage individuals to drink in your home. This is especially true since you have knowledge of the underage drinking in your home.
I suggest you lay down very strict guidelines that there is not to be any underage drinking in your home.
