Hotel Prom Death

[Colleen27]

From Hyatt's website:

How old must I be to reserve a room?
Generally, the minimum age to reserve a guestroom at Hyatt is 21 years old. However, this age may vary by hotel. Please check the specific policy of the hotel you plan to visit. A person of the minimum age requirement must be present at check-in and become a registered guest in the room.

So apparently the mother may very well NOT have had the right to reserve this room for her son's and his girlfriend's use; although it says it varies by hotel, most hotels I've encountered won't rent a room to an under-21 year old. Too much liability, specifically because of the drinking age being 21. (This is how it's been explained to us by Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton, and Marriott. DD travels a lot for auditions and won't be 21 until September, so it's always a huge hassle to find a place for her to stay.)

I keep coming back to the fact that the girl's mom told the boy's mom that the girl could not stay over at their house and to bring her home. That seems pretty clear to me. Coupled with the fact that the boy's mom more than likely should have been in the room she rented (and by doing so agrees to the hotel's terms… over 21 in room and all), I'd say the boy's mom has some huge liability issues here, regardless of how the kids got the booze and pills.

Notice that it says "generally". There's a hotel not too far from me that makes an exception to their age policy for students attending prom there, so long as a parent is willing to sign for the room and accept liability for any damages, just as many hotels make exceptions for student group travel even though there isn't a chaperon in each and every room. This Hyatt may do the same.

What I find interesting about this conversation is that no one is questioning the girl's mother's statements, even though they aren't terribly clear. It seems to me, in such a terrible situation, that a parent may be looking to justify what she did or find someone to blame, even if she was okay with the plan before things went wrong.

If the prom was at the hotel, why would the kids have even been back with the mother after being dropped off?

I wondered about that too, and about Mom dropping the kids off at prom in the first place. Even in my area, where a lot of kids don't get their licenses right away, that just doesn't happen. Either couples who can't drive ride with friends who can or a group pitches in for a limo or towncar. Kids don't get rides to senior prom from their parents.

IMO it absolutely matters where they were because I definitely believe the sanctuary of the hotel room from onlookers contributed to her death in that the kids weren't discovered until it was too late. As I said, left to their own devices they probably wouldn't have come up with many options that would have allowed them to party undisturbed, fall asleep undisturbed, sleep many hours undisturbed, resulting in this girl slipping into unconsciousness & probably losing respiratory function and dying.

I don't think that necessarily follows. If a teen comes home drunk, what do most parents do? Tell the kid to sleep it off and deal with discipline in the morning. This could just as easily have happened had she partied for the couple hours the mom gave her, then came home late and intoxicated and passed out in her own bed.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

Somewhere it said he awoke around 9:20 to her not breathing so it wasn't that he didn't wake up til 11.

I read 11 in one of the stories; probably just conflicting details. Or maybe it was 11:00 by the time the mother found out about it. Anyway, even 9:20 is way late in the morning for a mom who's daughter has been missing all night! I still say there has to be more to it. No mom would let a whole night go by without knowing where their 17-year-old daughter was!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

OP here. It took me a while to read through the thread.

When I saw this story, the first thing I thought of was the Social Host Law. Here is how it reads in MA. Note (briefly), hotel rooms can be included, and social hosts can be adults or minors.

Questions & Answers About the Social Host Law

A SOCIAL HOST IS ANYONE (adult or minor) who is in control of the premises and who furnishes alcohol or allows it to be consumed on those premises.

Am I breaking the law if I allow my child’s underage guests to consume alcohol in my home?

Yes. The legal drinking age in Massachusetts is 21. It is against the law to serve or provide alcohol to underage guests or to allow them to drink alcohol in your home or on other property you control. If you do, you may be prosecuted criminally.

The penalty is a fine of up to $2,000, imprisonment for up to a year, or both. M.G.L. c. 138, s. 34

Can I be sued if my child or an underage guest at my home drinks alcohol and injures someone?

Yes. You may be financially responsible if your child or underage guest injures another person (or himself) after having consumed alcohol, if you controlled the supply of the alcohol, made it available, or served it. Civil judgments can be for millions of dollars.

What if my child allows underage guests to drink or possess alcohol at my
home or other property I control?

You or your child may be charged criminally. For you to be found guilty under the Social Host Law, the Commonwealth must prove that you or your child knowingly or intentionally supplied, gave, provided, or allowed minors to possess alcohol at your home or other property you controlled. You or your child may also be sued civilly.

Does the Social Host Law apply if I rent a hotel room for my daughter’s party?

Yes, since you control the hotel room, the Social Host Law applies.

Will my homeowner’s policy cover the costs of litigation and any judgment against me or my child?

You may or may not be covered, especially if the underage drinker causes injury or death by use of an automobile. Many insurance policies do not cover situations where criminal conduct is involved.

http://www.mass.gov/essexda/docs/publications/alcohol-and-drugs/social-host-tagged.pdf

There have been quite a few cases in the news here with people charged under this law.

Now, doing a quick search to see if TX has similar laws, here's what I found.

Teen Drinking Lawsuit May Publicize Texas' host law

It differs quite a bit from the MA law in that it hinges on adults knowingly providing alcohol to minors.

In this case, we don't know if the boyfriend's mom provided alcohol or not, or if she signed for the room. I imagine we'll find out once facts and video surveillance have been examined, etc.

Maybe irrelevant, but I would also be curious if Hannathy is from Texas, given this statement from the article. Not criticizing, just observing the sentiments about the responsibilities of a 17 year old are similar.

In their response to the suit, the Phillipses say law enforcement officials concluded the teenage driver caused the accident. They say Audrey was at fault for getting in the car with her and for not wearing a seat belt.

 

[EMode]

I'm sorry, but I've never bought into the "they're going to find a way, so I might as well......" line of thinking. Especially when it involves someone else's kid.

Not sure what you are sorry about, I happen to feel the same as you. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of parents out there who don't.

Any updates?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Why do people insist that if someone dies or is injured their behavior cannot be examined? It's not as if the girls mom is reading this forum.

How do you know?