Pandemic parties could end in criminal liability for murder
"This is a crime, not a party," the judge opined.
Liability for manslaughter is exactly what may await those who host parties during the distribution of COVID-19. Legal experts say offenders should heed the words of a B.C. judge.
Ellen Gordon sentenced Mohammad Mowassagi, who turned his penthouse into a nightclub and hosted a party for 78 people, to 1 day in jail, a $5,000 CAD fine and 18 months' probation. The incident took place in late January. But the punishment could have been much harsher.
"If someone was at your party and got infected and died, as far as I'm concerned, you're guilty of manslaughter," Gordon said. — If someone was at your party and got the virus and infected their grandmother, you are also guilty of manslaughter."
Gordon called what happened "a crime, not a party." Mowassagi apologized to the judge and the public. Since then, he said, he has always worn a mask and kept his distance. In Canada, there is no minimum sentence for manslaughter, but it can go up to life.
Lisa Dufreimont, a professor at York University School of Law, noted that the judge is right.
"If it does result in someone's death, as the judge said, it could amount to manslaughter," Duframont shared in an interview.
Isabel Grant, a professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia, takes a different view. It's worth exercising caution when accusing someone of manslaughter, she says. Determining exactly where a person contracted the virus would be very difficult.
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