Florida High Court Gave Bars a Big Win, But There Are Additional Ways to Reduce Liability Risk  

Owners of bars, taverns, restaurants and other establishments serving alcohol kept a close eye on a case before the Supreme Court of Florida this year. At issue was a $28.6 million jury verdict against a bar awarded to a young woman catastrophically injured when she was hit by a pickup truck driven by an underage 20-year-old who had been drinking at the bar. 

Lawyers for the defendant bar argued that any fault by the young woman – who, at 18, also had been drinking and had walked into the path of the pickup – should reduce the bar's liability. The trial judge wouldn't let the bar mount that defense, but the Florida high court ruled in March that the judge was wrong. The justices said the judge should have allowed the "comparative fault" defense to be presented to the jury, setting a precedent that will help reduce liability risk for Florida establishments that serve alcohol. 

We will explain why the ruling in Guardianship of Jacquelyn Anne Faircloth vs. Main Street…