Posts Tagged ‘holiday’

The Holiday Season is a joyous time to celebrate with family and to reconnect with old friends.  Many times, as hosts, we greet our friends and family with rich foods, beer and wine.  Make sure that you remain conscious and observant at your holiday festivities regarding the amount of alcohol that your guests are consuming.  Here are a few tips to make you a better host:

1. Always serve food at your celebrations instead of just alcohol;
2. Have an adult pour your guests= drinks so that someone is observing the appearance and actions of your friends
3. Use smaller glasses to serve alcoholic drinks;
4. Remind your guests that Pennsylvania=s level of intoxication is now .08.
5. Stop serving alcohol an hour or two prior to the ending of the celebration.

By following the above recommendations you may very well avert your family and friends from confronting a DUI investigation or even worse, an accident.

When it comes to minors drinking at your holiday celebrations, you must be even more cognizant of their actions and the law.  In Congini v. Portersville Valve Co., 504 Pa. 157, 470 A.2d 515, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that a Social Host could be liable for the injuries sustained by others on account of a minor consuming alcohol at a social event.  The court reconfirmed the public policy that minors are incompetent to handle alcohol.  There is an affirmative duty upon adults not to serve minors alcohol at social functions.

So, enjoy this blessed holiday season but know the law as it pertains to you, your guests and alcohol.

Respectfully Submitted,

Brian G. Price, Esquire

The holiday season is here once more. The lawyers at Dougherty Leventhal & Price wish to remind you that some of the best things in life are not things at all. Celebrate your holidays bys pending time with your loved ones and be very cautious regarding the use of credit cards to purchase items which you cannot afford.

Did you know that 92% of Americans carry 5 to 6 credit cards in their wallets? Did you know that 55% of Americans have 7 to 8 credit cards in their wallets? 20% of credit card users are “maxed out”. It takes 22 years to pay off a debt of $1,000.00 if you only make the minimum payments.

If the above statistics were not enough to ruin your holiday cheer, the Federal Government has passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. This new law allows banks to change the minimum 2% monthly payment on existing credit card debt to 4%. The payoff period is now 10 years instead of 20 years. For example, the average American carries credit card debt equating to $8,652.00. At a 2 % minimum payment, the monthly payment was $432.60. Now, at 4%, the minimum monthly could equate to $865.20 per month. This is not a gift you want to find under your Christmas tree.

So enjoy this Holiday Season but remember to only spend within your means so that you are not negatively affected by the new credit card laws.

Brian G. Price, Esquire