Hawaii Supreme Court: Party host can be held liable; revives lawsuit from girl’s ’09 death

The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that a party host can be held liable for serving alcohol to a minor who dies from alcohol poisoning, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Wednesday. The unanimous ruling revives a lawsuit by the family of a 15-year-old girl who died after attending a 2009 party at a then-25-year-old man’s Hawaii Kai home. The suit claimed Michael Clark served and encouraged Makamae Ah Mook Sang to drink large amounts of hard liquor. According to the lawsuit, Clark didn’t help the teen when she passed out and instead helped load her body in a friend’s car.