"I don't get it."
Here's the deal.
The fine appears to have nothing to do with the fact that these people died.
The fine is simply due to the fact that the State found out that this guy was served drinks wayyyyy after he was obviously drunk, which is a violation of NM law.
The issue before us isn't about a wrongful fine in the death case, but whether the State should fine a bar who serves an obviously intoxicated person.
Well, your explanation makes more sense than the article (though I only read what was posted and not the entire article). Maybe they should just install breathalyzers in bars.
Some people don't appear to "obviously" be intoxicated when they are.
This is a case of abuse of power by a small person with a little authority.
Do we have a name & pic of this insignificant twerp?
common law. bars are responsible for their customers (stupid, just like blaming the gun in a suicide) until they are sober. this was a huge issue that caused a lot of aggravation when i was bartending at a hotel, people would complain that i should be able to serve them until they were absolutely smashed because they were staying there. i had to explain, on numerous occasions (as i cut them off), that if they injured themselves, i faced the possibility of being held resposible.
what i find unsual about this case is not that they are being charged, but that its the state that's going after them. usually this is something that the victim or their family would pursue in civil suit.