Supreme Court of California

The People need not prove knowledge of age to establish a violation of Business and Professions code section 25658(c), prohibiting the purchase of alcohol for someone under 21 who, after drinking, proximately causes death or great bodily injury, however a defendant is entitled to defend against the charge by claiming a mistake of fact as to age.

Appellate Information

• Decided 08/23/2004
• Published 08/23/2004

Judges

• WERDEGAR, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Rothschild, Wishek & Sands, Kelly Lynn Babineau and M. Bradley Wishek, Sacramento, for Petitioner Michael Lee Jennings.


• For Appellees:
  
• Bill Lockyer, Attorney General, Manuel M. Medeiros, State Solicitor General, Robert R. Anderson, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Jo Graves, Assistant Attorney General, Carlos A. Martinez, Mathew Chan, Janet Neeley, David Andrew Eldridge, Stephen G. Herndon and Rachelle A. Newcomb, Deputy Attorneys General;  Robert A. Ryan, Jr., County Counsel, and James G. Wright, Deputy County Counsel, for Respondent State of California.