term:

Social Host

social host n

:

a person who furnishes another with alcohol in a social setting and not as a licensed vendor [courts…reluctant to impose liability on social hosts based on…negligence principles alone, without the support of express legislative policy "Ferreira v. Strack, 652 A.2d 965 (1995)"] NOTE: Social hosts have sometimes been found criminally liable for serving alcohol to a minor or to an already usually obviously intoxicated person, and have sometimes been found civilly liable for injury to or by an intoxicated minor. Less often, a person categorized as a social host has been found civilly liable for subsequent injury to a third party caused by an intoxicated adult guest, esp. in an automobile accident.

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.