Georgia Court: Store can be Liable for Beer Sale

The Georgia Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling and found a convenience store can be held liable for a fatal highway accident that took place after a driver purchased a 12-pack of beer.

The court ruled 6-1 Tuesday that Exprezit! Stores 98-Georgia can be held liable for selling beer to a man named Billy Grundell, who was noticeably intoxicated when he made the purchase. His vehicle later struck a van, killing him and five other people.

The families of those injured sued, but the trial court and Georgia Court of Appeals awarded summary judgment to the store on grounds the beer was not sold for consumption on premises. The Supreme Court disagreed.

Attorneys for the store argued that clerks couldn’t know Grundell would soon be driving.