Lancet Jades
05-23-2004, 05:53 PM
Bar Owners Turn Tables on Underage DrinkersSunday, May 23, 2004
SAN FRANCISCO — Bar and liquor store owners are fighting back against underage drinkers that cost them thousands of dollars in profit when they are caught.
San Francisco has no shortage of bars or underage drinkers who try to sneak into them, usually with the help of a fake ID or a valid drivers license they got from a friend. The problem is that if they get caught, they don’t get into much legal trouble.
In California, an underage drinker faces a $250 fine. The bar, on the other hand, stands to lose thousands of dollars and even its liquor license if more than one underage drinker is caught there.
A group of San Francisco bar owners is fighting back by taking underage drinkers to court and making them pay for lost wages and profits. The owner of one bar, Amante's, took a 20-year-old woman to small claims court and won a $5,000 judgment after she used a friend's ID to get in, resulting in a $3,000 fine for the bar.
“I don’t want to ruin her life,” said Amante’s owner Michael DiBenedetti. “But I do want to make it so [she] thinks seriously about doing this, not just to us, but to any bar out there because it hurts so much.”
The new trend is being watched by state officials in charge of policing bars that serve minors. They agree that until lawmakers pass tougher penalties for underage drinkers and judges impose steeper fines, bar owners who check IDs in good faith have virtually no other recourse.
“A better deterrent is needed, and right now the penalties aren’t severe enough for the minors,” said Everest Robillard, manager of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. “The penalties are sufficient for the bars and liquor stores, but not for the minors, and if it takes suing them in small claims court, OK.”
Some bar owners plan to post signs warning they’ll take minors to court if need be. They add that many underage drinkers are adults over the age of 18 and should be held accountable — at least to the businesses — if they knowingly break the law.
SAN FRANCISCO — Bar and liquor store owners are fighting back against underage drinkers that cost them thousands of dollars in profit when they are caught.
San Francisco has no shortage of bars or underage drinkers who try to sneak into them, usually with the help of a fake ID or a valid drivers license they got from a friend. The problem is that if they get caught, they don’t get into much legal trouble.
In California, an underage drinker faces a $250 fine. The bar, on the other hand, stands to lose thousands of dollars and even its liquor license if more than one underage drinker is caught there.
A group of San Francisco bar owners is fighting back by taking underage drinkers to court and making them pay for lost wages and profits. The owner of one bar, Amante's, took a 20-year-old woman to small claims court and won a $5,000 judgment after she used a friend's ID to get in, resulting in a $3,000 fine for the bar.
“I don’t want to ruin her life,” said Amante’s owner Michael DiBenedetti. “But I do want to make it so [she] thinks seriously about doing this, not just to us, but to any bar out there because it hurts so much.”
The new trend is being watched by state officials in charge of policing bars that serve minors. They agree that until lawmakers pass tougher penalties for underage drinkers and judges impose steeper fines, bar owners who check IDs in good faith have virtually no other recourse.
“A better deterrent is needed, and right now the penalties aren’t severe enough for the minors,” said Everest Robillard, manager of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. “The penalties are sufficient for the bars and liquor stores, but not for the minors, and if it takes suing them in small claims court, OK.”
Some bar owners plan to post signs warning they’ll take minors to court if need be. They add that many underage drinkers are adults over the age of 18 and should be held accountable — at least to the businesses — if they knowingly break the law.