Facts: A graduation party was held at the Carefoots' house. Although only about thirty people were expected to come, a number of people at a nearby beach heard about the party and before long there were nearly two hundred people at the Carefoots' house. Since it was a small community, most of the people knew each other, so the Carefoots made everyone welcome. Most of the "crashers" had been drinking earlier and brought their liquor with them. In the early morning, the party broke up. Baumeister, who was intoxicated, got into the box of Drake's pickup truck to go home. Drake was also quite drunk. Shortly after leaving the Carefoots, Drake swerved abruptly, throwing Baumeister out of the truck and injuring him severely. Baumeister sued Drake and also the Carefoots.

Issue: Were the Carefoots, who had hosted the party, liable for the damages to Baumeister?

Held: Action dismissed.

Judicial Reasoning: The claim against the Carefoots was based on the notion of social host liability. Though there are American cases that hold that people who serve their guests liquor and help them get drunk when they know their guests will soon be driving a vehicle will be liable to third parties damaged by their guests' drink-induced negligence, there was no similar precedent in Canada. Furthermore, the judge found that the Carefoots did not induce, encourage, or help either Baumeister or Drake to become impaired. They also could not reasonably be expected to prevent almost two hundred surprise guests from drinking their own liquor.