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New York · Event venues and the Dram Shop Act
New York Hospitality & Event Safety Expert Witness
Ryan Dahlstrom accepts expert-witness engagements in New York and is retained by attorneys representing plaintiffs and defendants. He evaluates alcohol service, event and venue operations, crowd management and security against hospitality industry standards.
Alcohol Service
Dram Shop and Liquor Liability in New York
General Obligations Law § 11-101 and ABC Law § 65
New York's Dram Shop Act is General Obligations Law § 11-101. A person injured by an intoxicated person has a right of action against anyone who caused or contributed to that intoxication by unlawfully selling alcohol.
What counts as an unlawful sale comes from Alcoholic Beverage Control Law § 65, which prohibits selling, delivering or giving alcohol to a person who is visibly intoxicated. The two provisions are read together.
The intoxicated patron cannot recover against the establishment that served them. At event and entertainment venues the dram shop question also sits alongside event operations — crowd density, staffing, ingress and egress, and security planning — which are separate operational failures with separate evidence.
This summary is general information for counsel, not legal advice. Statutes, regulations and case law change; counsel should confirm the law in effect on the date of loss. Ryan Dahlstrom's opinions address operational practices measured against hospitality industry standards; he does not offer opinions on the law.
Evidence
What Ryan Reviews in a New York Matter
The evidence set follows the legal standard. Where the statute turns on what was observable, the analysis runs on video, service records and staffing; where it turns on security or premises conditions, it runs on deployment, supervision and incident history.
- Service and POS records correlated to a timeline
- Surveillance video for visible indicators at the point of sale
- ATAP or equivalent server training records
- Event security and staffing plans where the injury arose at an event
- Crowd density, capacity and ingress/egress management
- Incident reports and the venue's response
Selected Engagements
Representative Settled New York Matters
Ryan has been retained in New York matters involving event safety, venue operations and security at live entertainment venues.
Questions
New York — Common Questions from Counsel
Who can bring a dram shop claim in New York?
What makes a sale 'unlawful' under New York law?
What does an event safety expert evaluate at a New York concert venue?
Other Jurisdictions
Expert Witness Services by State
Ryan Dahlstrom accepts expert-witness engagements in all 50 states.
New York Matter Under Review?
Submit a case inquiry for a confidential conflicts check and evaluation. Ryan responds to case inquiries within one business day.