other types of legal liability related to the dramshop laws apply to alcoholic beverage service, criminal liability allows the state to file a lawsuit against a licensed business, individuals employed by that business or the social host of a private party where alcohol is served Unlike a civil suit, the criminal suit addresses the criminal aspects of serving alcohol irresponsibly An example would be when an intoxicated guest at a bar injures an innocent bystander (either inside the bar or after leaving the premises),and the stare sues both the guest and those who served that guest alcohol. A civil suit usually includes a financial penalty a criminal suit can mean serving jail time. Sometimes, both civil and criminal suits are filed simultaneously in separate courts, and the outcome of the criminal suit is not dependent on the outcome of the civil action. Both cases are decided independently, meaning that the defendant can be held accountable by both courts, or in one and not the other.