Recently one of my clients asked if co-owners can simultaneously serve on a condo board in DC? My first thought was, “of course they can’t, that’s ridiculous.” As it turns out, there is no DC law, or case, prohibiting condo board service by co-owners of the same unit. So unless the Bylaws address the situation, it is totally permissible.
The cover-up is always worse than the crime. Isn’t it? You always hear that, but is it accurate in D.C. liquor license matters? The limited number of cases that address investigation interference suggest that it isn’t.
It simply does not matter how proactive you have been in your liquor store or bar. If a minor is served, you are liable. It is what lawyers call “strict liability.” That means, all the Government has to prove is that a person under the age of 21 was served alcohol in your establishment. It doesn’t matter how or why. The fact that the service occurred is enough to result in a sale to minor violation.
In the midst of the oversight season, the Council pressed forward with its legislative agenda. On March 6, 2018, they passed a somewhat controversial TOPA Amendment, exempting owner-occupied single family homes.