It’s easier to sue a bar or a store for selling alcohol to a minor, under a recent decision from the Massachusetts Appeals Court. In this case a teenage boy went to a store and bought a 30-pack of beer. He shared it with some friends. One of the friends then drove away and struck another car, severely injuring someone. The injured person sued the store.

Ordinarily, a store can be sued for selling alcohol to a minor who then injures someone. But the store argued that it wasn’t responsible in this case, because the minor who bought the beer wasn’t the same person who caused the accident.  However, the court said the store could be sued anyway. If the store sold the beer to a minor, then it was responsible for all the foreseeable consequences of its actions, the court said. And it could be foreseen that a minor who bought alcohol would share it with his friends.