Is a drink on the house considered a sold beverage for dram shop actions or liquor liability cases?

Speaker 1: You’ve got an alcohol-related incident. You got hurt, somebody you care about got hurt, and what do you hear from the bar owners?
Speaker 2: Sometimes we hear, “Look, I’m not responsible for anything, because the law only holds me responsible as a bar owner when I sell liquor. I didn’t sell the last two drinks to this guy. They were on the house. I gave it to him, and because I gave it to him, I’m not actually responsible for anything.” Let me tell you something. That’s an argument only a lawyer could make, it’s a tune only a lawyer could dance to, and it doesn’t work. If it doesn’t make any sense and it sounds like nonsense, that’s because it’s nonsense. You might hear that as a defense. Don’t fall for it.

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