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In September 2007, 16-year-old Ana Rojas was dropped off by her father at her friend's house to spend the night. The next day, she was found dead of a "cheese" overdose, after spending the night out with friends. "Cheese," a mixture of Mexican black tar heroin and cold medicine, was readily available at the friend's apartment and at a party the teen attended, according to a witness.

Dallas County prosecutors are charging Victor Tellez, the brother of Ana's friend Julie, with delivering a controlled substance to a child in the death of Ana Rojas. Tellez faces life in prison if convicted.

According to Victoria Gonzales, 19, who testified at Tellez's trial, Ana snorted the drug at the Tellez apartment, at a party they went to and again upon returning to the apartment later that night. Ana, a 10th grader at a local charter school, also had marijuana and Xanax in her system, according to toxicology reports.

At least 32 people ages 18 or younger in Dallas County have died of "cheese" overdoses since 2005.

(Source: www.dallasnews.com)

Labels: drug overdose, drug-abuse, liability

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Karen Downs of Kansas City, Missouri, was arrested in March for providing vodka for several young teenagers at her daughter's birthday party. She reportedly offered $10 to whoever could drink a glass of vodka the fastest.

"Police responded to a complaint of a loud party at a home in northern Kansas City... One girl who was unconscious was taken to a hospital, where her blood content was later determined to be .218, more than twice the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle."

A second girl, who was believed to be suffering from alcohol poisoning, was also taken to the hospital. Police officers said they found between 60 and 70 empty beer bottles and several empty liquor bottles in the home's basement. They are hoping the incident will serve as a lesson to parents and teens alike about the dangers and consequences of underage drinking. Source: Associated Press

Labels: parents, liability, consent

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Parents and students from the Birmingham-Bloomfield, Michigan school district will gather together on Wednesday, March 25, to stuff and mail more than 4,000 letters. The letters are signed by local police chiefs and address the issues and consequences parents will face if they host underage drinking parties.

"The Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition is sponsoring the letter-writing campaign. This is the sixth year the coalition has participated with other Oakland County coalitions in sending this message to parents in their respective communities."

The letters will be addressed to parents of high school students that attend public and private schools in the district. They will also be mailed in police department envelopes, will remind parents of the legal ramifications for hosting underage parties, and will give parents tips for keeping their teens safe. Source: Birmingham (MI) Observer-Eccentric

Labels: parents, liability, party

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This week, a jury in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is in the process of determining whether cigarette maker Altria is responsible for the death of a 40-year chain-smoker who was helplessly addicted to nicotine. This case is the first of approximately 8,000 similar cases that are going to trial. In 2006, the Florida Supreme Court upheld a decision that tobacco companies knowingly sold dangerous products and hid the health risks of smoking; however, the Court threw out a $145 billion jury award for a class-action lawsuit. The Court said that each case must be proven individually.

Edward L. Sweda, Jr., attorney for the Tobacco Products Liability Project at Northeastern University Law School, commented on the proceedings: "It is highly likely that the tobacco companies will be forced to account for their decades-long, reprehensible history of corporate wrongdoing." (Sources: www.google.com/hostednews/ap)

Labels: death, liability, smoking

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In 2006, Oklahoma voters passed "Cody's Law," named for a 16-year-old Tulas boy who died of an overdose while staying the night at a friend's home where the friend's parents were hosting a teen party. The parents, Kelli and William Henry, received a one-year deferred sentence for 11 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Cody's parents, stunned by the light sentence, are now working to pass a new law that would require harsher penalties for adults who provide drugs and/or alcohol to minors. Under the current law, adults are only held responsible if a child is injured or dies while consuming drugs or alcohol under the supervision of an adult; the new law would hold adults accountable for simply hosting a party for minors where alcohol and/or drugs are available. The new bill, Senate Bill 1146, would also require a misdemeanor for the first offense with jail time and fines; extended jail time and fines for a second offense; and an automatic felony for a third offense.

Labels: underage-drinking, liability, party

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