Opinion ID: 2609858
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The dram shop liability statute

Text: Section 4-311, which imposes liability on licensees under certain circumstances, states in pertinent part: A. A licensee is liable for property damage and personal injuries or is liable to a person who may bring an action for wrongful death pursuant to § 12-612 if a court or jury finds the following: 1. The licensee sold spirituous liquor either to a purchaser who was obviously intoxicated, or to a purchaser under the legal drinking age without requesting identification containing proof of age or with knowledge that the person was under the legal drinking age, .... (Emphasis added.) Defendants argue that the wording of § 4-311 is sufficiently narrow to exclude the present facts. We agree. For dram shop liability to exist under § 4-311, the licensee must sell alcohol to a purchaser who is either intoxicated or under the legal drinking age. Obviously, no such commercial sale occurred here. We do not now address how narrowly or broadly the term sold should be interpreted. Suffice it to say again that under any rational meaning of the term, the liquor here was not sold. Defendants were not acting as licensees in this transaction  even unlicensed persons may store alcohol. Moreover, Mattox certainly was no purchaser  he was alleged to be a thief. Thus, we conclude that A.R.S. § 4-311 does not apply.