Court Opinion

ID: 9634384
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 13:09:50.044819+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:09:01.372674
License: Public Domain

ROBERTS, Chief Justice,
concurring.
I join in the mandate of the majority allowing the complaint in trespass, which seeks recovery for injuries allegedly caused by the serving of liquor by a social host to a visibly intoxicated minor guest, to proceed to trial. Section 493(1) of the Liquor Code mandates that it is “unlawful ... for any licensee or the board, or any employe, servant or agent of such licensee, or the board, or any other person, to sell, furnish or give any liquor ... or to permit any liquor ... to be sold, furnished or given, to any person visibly intoxicated____” 47 P.S. § 4-493(1) (emphasis added). The use of the language “any person visibly intoxicated” clearly manifests the Legislature’s intention to prohibit the furnishing of alcoholic beverages to all visibly intoxicated persons, without regard to whether those persons are adults or minors. See Klein v. Raysinger, 504 Pa. 141, 470 A.2d 507 (1983) (Roberts, C.J., dissenting). See also Manning v. Andy, 454 Pa. 237, 310 A.2d 75 (1973) (Manderino, J., dissenting, joined by Roberts, J.). Because the majority disregards this plain statutory language, I concur in the result only.