Managers and the Legal Environment 7th Edition by David Madsen, Constance Bagley

Exercise 7

Bruce Marecki, an employee of Crystal Rock Spring Water Company, attended a seminar sponsored by the company at a Ramada Inn. At the seminar, he drank several beers. After the seminar ended, he was planning to go to happy hour at the hotel, but at a separate location from the seminar room. Instead, he left the hotel to purchase cigarettes after discovering that the cigarette machine in the hotel was broken. While he was driving to a store to buy cigarettes, he rear-ended another car and caused injuries to the driver. The driver sued Crystal Rock Spring Water Company under the doctrine of respondeat superior. Should the company be liable for the injuries the driver suffered? What if Crystal Rock Spring Water Company had not supplied the liquor at the seminar, but had allowed it to be served? What if Marecki had had nothing to drink at the seminar, but then drank at the happy hour with his coworkers and had an accident when he was driving home after socializing with them? What if the seminar was optional and Marecki had no obligation to attend? [Sheftic v. Marecki, 1999 Conn. Super. LEXIS 2953 (Conn. Oct. 22, 1999).]