‘It wasn’t me, it was the booze’ – criminals take legal action against alcohol companies

Five American inmates are suing various alcohol companies for causing them to commit their crimes.

As a nation we revel in each other’s ridiculous, anti-social and morally reprehensible behaviour whilst under the influence of alcohol.

What little pride we once held quickly disintegrates as we sup that third can of ‘Stella Act a Twat’ whilst pissing on our first doorstep of the night as inhibitions fall by the way side.

And it’s true, we all feel a sense of diminished responsibility for our drunken discretions, but five inmates in the USA are taking the unprecedented step of taking legal action against eight alcohol companies they claim are partially culpable for their crimes.

The five Idaho inmates – with convictions ranging from grand theft auto to manslaughter – told Boise US District Court last month that they would not have committed their crimes if it weren’t for their addictions to alcohol.

They also hold the companies – namely Coors and Miller Brewing – culpable for failing to educate them about, and highlight on their products, the addictive nature of their produce.

Plaintiff Jeremy Brown said in his affidavit, “If I was not an alcoholic, the shooting would never have happened”.

Possibly true, but if I hadn’t had a few too many lagers as a wide eyed 17-year-old I definitely wouldn’t have woken up under a car with a gash above my eye and vomit down my top. It still happened.

But fear not, it seems we are not destined for an anarchic society in which a tasty can of lager also provides legal impunity as Boise attorney Joe Filicetti questioned the legal standing of the accusations, saying: “It’s well known to be addictive (alcohol). It’s well known to be something that causes you to reduce your inhibitions and to do things you otherwise wouldn’t do.”

Image by: Josh Staiger

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