Reynolds v. Hicks

Jamie and Anna Hicks (defendants) hosted a wedding reception where their underage nephew drank alcohol; he later drove and crashed into Reynolds (plaintiff). Reynolds sued the Hicks for negligently serving alcohol to a minor they knew was underage, relying on a Washington statute barring anyone but a parent from supplying alcohol to someone under 21. The trial court granted the Hicks summary judgment, holding that social hosts are not liable to third parties for this kind of harm, and the court of appeals certified the case for review.