Potential Charges & Punishments For Bar Fights

A bar fight can escalate quickly from zero to a hundred. Despite being seemingly harmless, bar fights can turn into a crime state. One party can have too much drink, while the other party gets into their face. You are relaxing from a tiring week at work, and wham! You find yourself amidst verbal and physical provocations, and before you know, things explode to the worst.

Perhaps, with someone’s timely intervention, things end before someone gets seriously injured, with a couple of punches being hurled and everyone just heading home. However, if you are unlucky and things get out of hand, the law enforcement might be called, and you can land in jail.

Conflicts in pubs are nothing new and unheard of. Although it might not result in something serious, bar fights are against the law in numerous ways. You might have been part of a group and walked away from the bar with them after the fight is over. However, depending on the circumstances, you could still find yourself in legal trouble amidst a wide range of legal charges against you.

Suppose you have been involved in a bar fight, it is essential to know different types of possibilities you could be liable to receive from the law. Read on to learn more!

You Can Get Sued For Disorderly Conduct

Many bar incidents have caused the involved participants of the brawl to face legal convictions for disturbing the peace of the pub. According to the Court laws, provoking and instigating someone to fight is categorized as disorderly conduct, irrespective of whether you were drunk or not.

Disturbing the peace is considered a misdemeanor, which can land you for three months in jail. Depending on the state where the brawl took place, you can also be fined a minimum of USD 400. Using foul language to provoke someone to fight can also land you in jail for disturbing the peace.

You Can Get Sued For Physical Assault

Typically, this type of physical assault that is initiated with verbal abuse is categorized as a misdemeanor until and unless the use of a deadly weapon, such as knife, gun, brass knuckles, etc., were involved. You can expect the typical fine of $1000 once you are sued for physical assault. Also, the jail time is longer than getting sued for disorderly conduct. The typical punishment involves you staying in jail for no less than six months. However, the rules vary from one state to another.

It is important to know another case scenario would involve a charge for attempted physical assault, which revolves around verbally threatening someone to harm them physically with a weapon or violence, and thus instilling fear in the other party. In this situation, the charges will be different from getting sued for physical assault.

You Can Get Sued For Battery

In case you get caught with a deadly weapon and make use of it, causing acute physical injury, you will be charged with battery. There is also the possibility that you might become a victim of a brawl and sustain injuries. In that case, you need the services of a qualified personal injury attorney, such as Cain and Harren. They specialize in everything related to personal injury and know how to get their clients the due compensation they deserve. It is important to note that getting charged with battery means that the actual use of force was involved, resulting in a felony.

It is always best to have a general idea about how the law works to keep oneself out of trouble. That said, letting loose on the weekends and having a couple of drinks is all right. However, there is no legal excuse for intoxication and misdemeanor.