T1 On June 20, 1997, Walter Branch and his adult daughter, Devona McGee, were killed by an intoxicated driver, Neal Alexander, Jr., while changing a tire along an Oklahoma City highway near the Willow Creek Golf and Country Club. As a result of the accident, the surviving spouses and next kin of Branch and McGee filed suit against the intoxicated driver, as well as Hillerest Health Center, Inc. (Hillerest) and Willow Creek Golf and Country Club (Willow Creek) under a dram shop lability theory.
T2 Prior to the accident which killed Branch and McGee, Alexander attended a golf scramble fund raiser and end of year party in honor of the interns and residents at Hillerest Health Center. Hillerest raised funds to pay for the event and fund raiser by charging a $60 tournament fee and soliciting sponsors whose logos or names were then displayed at various points throughout the tournament. Alexander was the guest of a Hillerest physician who paid Alexander's tournament fee.
13 Alexander arrived for the tournament around 11:00 a.m. and left the reception and awards ceremony in the clubhouse sometime around 7:00 p.m. that evening. During those hours he consumed a number of beers. 1 Alexander indicated he consumed the majority of beer while on the golf course and acknowledged that he had too much to drink by the time he finished the 18th hole. Alexander apparently obtained two more beers in the clubhouse with drink coupons which were part of a hospitality package given to participants of the golf tournament.
T4 Defendant, Hillcrest Health Center, supplied the beverages available on the course, which included beer as well as sodas and other non-alcoholic drinks. Hillerest employees, including nurses, manned the beverage carts and served the drinks to the golfers from coolers. The beverage carts themselves were golf carts provided by Willow Creek for use in delivering drinks throughout the course. Willow Creek personnel were not involved in furnishing drinks to tournament participants on the golf course.
11 5 Willow Creek did staff the open bar at the clubhouse where the reception and awards ceremony took place at the conclusion of the tournament. While tournament participants could pay cash to purchase drinks at the bar, the club's records indicate no one paid, but instead patrons simply used their drink coupons. It was at this bar where Alexander traded in his two drink coupons for two beers toward the end of the evening. Willow Creek maintains that it has no record of who was working specifically at the clubhouse or the clubhouse bar on the evening of June 20, 1997 and can only provide a general list of who reported for work that evening.
T 6 Willow Creek has a valid mixed beverage license, allowing it to operate the bar at the clubhouse. On the evening of June 20th, it served 255 drinks to approximately 150 tournament patrons. Willow Creek billed Hillerest approximately $858.70 for the bar
T7 Alexander testified that he left the event between 6:45 and 7:00 p.m. Very shortly thereafter and within close proximity to the Willow Creek Golf Club, Alexander veered off the road and killed Branch and McGee who were changing a flat tire on the shoulder. Alexander stated he made no stops after leaving the country club and consumed no alcohol other than that which he consumed at the country club. Alexander was taken to the Hillcrest Hospital emergency room after the accident. The police report indicates that the attending officers suspected Alexander was intoxicated and as a result left a blood aleohol test kit to be conducted at the hospital. Testing revealed Alexander's blood aleohol level was .19, well above the legal limit for intoxication in Oklahoma.
18 Plaintiffs, the surviving spouses and next kin of the two victims, Branch and McGee, filed suit against Alexander, Hillerest Health Center, Inc., Willow Creek Golf and Country Club and John Does 1 through 9 (who allegedly served the alcohol). Seeking to impose dram shop liability upon Defendant, Hillerest, Plaintiffs included an allegation that Hillerest and Willow Creek were joint venturers in the vending of alcohol for the tournament. Both Hillcrest and Willow Creek filed Motions for Summary Judgment. Hillerest premised its summary judgment on a claimed status as a social host. Willow Creek also argued that it occupied the status of a social host because it was an agent of a social host, Hillcrest. In addition, Willow Creek argued that it did not know, nor have any reason to know Neal Alexander was intoxicated.
1 9 The trial court granted summary judgments in favor of both Hillcrest Health Center and Willow Creek Golf Club. Plaintiffs appealed to this Court,. The Court of Civil Appeals affirmed the summary judgments with regard to both Defendants. This Court granted certiorari to examine whether the record on summary judgment demonstrates that dram shop liability applied to neither Hillerest Health Center nor Willow Creek. For the reasons set out herein, the opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals is vacated and the trial court's judgment is affirmed in part and reversed in part and remanded for further proceedings. Specifically, the grant of summary judgment in favor of Hillcrest Health Center is affirmed, while the summary judgment in favor of Willow Creek Golf and Country Club is reversed.
I. STANDARD of REVIEW
110 Summary judgment is proper where it appears there is no substantial controversy as to any material fact and one party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Daugherty v. Farmers Co-op. Ass'n,
II. DRAM SHOP LIABILITY ASSERTED AGAINST HILLCREST HEALTH CENTER
A. Hillcrest is Not a Commercial Vendor of Alcohol
111 In Brigance v. Velvet Dove Restaurant,
112 Plaintiffs argue that the teachings of Brigance and its progeny should be extended under the unique facts of this case to make a non-commercial provider of alcoholic beverages liable to injured third parties for serving liquor to one who was then known, or should have been known, to be intoxicated. Plaintiffs concede that Hillerest did not hold a license to sell alcoholic beverages, but argue Hillerest engaged in an activity on the day in question that was business-related, as well as social. Plaintiffs point out that Hill-crest intended to apply funds in excess of tournament costs, including donations, to its continuing medical education program. Plaintiffs also stress that Hillcrest charged each participant $60.00 to defray the costs of the tournament, including the alcohol. In essence, Plaintiffs argue that by sponsoring the golf tournament and reception, Hillerest engaged in an activity that was sufficiently business-related in nature that Hillcrest should be considered a commercial provider for purposes of dram shop liability.
13 In support of its argument that it is not a commercial provider, Hillerest points out that it is a hospital which does not hold a license to sell alcoholic beverages of any kind nor does it have the concomitant right of profit from the sale of alcohol. In Tomlinson v. Love's Country Stores, Inc.,
¶ 14 Although this Court has not directly addressed the issue of whether a non-commercial provider who has a business interest in furnishing alcoholic beverages to its guests loses its status as a social host, it has suggested that this is not the case. See Kellogg v. Ohler,
115 In our view, if a distinction between a social host and a commercial provider is to be made, the basis for that distinction is whether the provider sells or intends to make a profit from the sale of alcohol. Our earlier dram shop cases have acknowledged the profit potential for liquor vendors as the substantial reason for imposing dram shop liability against the commercial vendor of alcohol. Tomlinson v. Love's Country Stores, Inc.,
116 Hillerest undoubtedly furnished alcohol on the golf course on June 20, 1997. However, Hillerest was not in the business of selling alcohol for profit. It did not hold a license to sell alcoholic beverages of any kind nor was it regulated by the state for that purpose. The fact that Hillerest charged participants $60.00 to defray costs of the tournament does not make it a commercial provider of alcoholic beverages. Koechnen v. Dufuor, 590 NW .2d 107 (Minn.1999) (host of party did not lose her status as social host
T 17 In other jurisdictions where commercial vendor liability has been recognized, there has still been a reluctance on the part of the courts to expand the concept of commercial vendor, even where the setting is a commercial one. See, Mulvihill v. Union Oil Co. of Califormia,
{18 In the alternative, Plaintiffs contend that this Court should extend Hability to Hillerest as a social host under the unique facts of this case, again stressing the quasi-commercial nature of the Hillerest tournament and Hillerest's active role in serving drinks, including beer, on the golf course. 3 Plaintiffs argue that the traditional reasons for refusing to impute civil liability to the social host, ie. the typical social host is less experienced than the commercial vendor in dealing with alcohol and may be less capable of bearing the costs of lability, are not present in this case.
119 However, the implications of social host liability are very wide sweeping and have the potential to effect every element of our population, while commercial vendor liability implicates those entities most directly benefitting from liquor sale and distribution. See Reynolds v. Hicks,
B. The Summary Judgment Record Demonstrates Hillcrest was not in a Joint Venture with Willow Creek
120 Plaintiffs next argue that Hill-crest entered into a joint venture agreement with Willow Creek, who Plaintiffs assert is a commercial vendor, and as a result Hillerest is liable for Plaintiffs' injuries to the same extent as Willow Creek.
A joint venture has been defined in Oklahoma as a special combination of two or more persons where in some specific venture a profit is jointly sought without any partnership or corporate designation. Three elements are necessary to establish the existence of a joint venture: 1) A joint interest in property (the contributions need not be equal or of the same character), 2) An express or implied agreement to share profits and losses of the venture, 3) Action or conduct showing cooperation in the venture. LeFlore v. Reflections of Tulsa, 1985 OK 72 ,708 P.2d 1068 , 1072 (citations omitted).
¶ 21 The summary judgment record is devoid of any evidence indicating Hillerest and Willow Creek shared an interest in any property. Plaintiffs attempt to cireumvent this shortcoming by asserting that the joint enterprise itself is the shared interest. Plaintiffs' interpretation of the first requirement is too broad and would effectively eliminate it as an element of the joint venture test. See Wickham v. Belveal,
122 Secondly, the uncontroverted facts demonstrate that there was no agreement that Hillerest and Willow Creek would in some way share in the profits and losses of this tournament and reception. The billing records show Willow Creek provided and charged for services at a predetermined rate to be paid by Hillerest. 5 Willow Creek charged Hillerest for the lunch buffet on a per person basis and for the reception menu on a per tray basis. Willow Creek provided the open bar at the reception and awards ceremony and Hillerest then compensated it for the drink tickets used by the Hillerest guests at the club's bar service rate. There is simply nothing in the summary judgment record indicating Willow Creek was prepared to offer its services at a loss or reap additional profits depending on the success or lack thereof of the Hillerest event. The second element of joint venture is not present.
123 The absence of any one element is enough to defeat Plaintiffs' contentions of joint venture. Here, two elements are missing. The trial court correctly rejected Plaintiff's claims of joint venture.
C. The Summary Judgment Record Demonstrates that Hillerest's Actions Did Not Amount to Negligence Per Se Under 37 0.8. § 247
124 Plaintiffs urge that Hillerest violated 37 § 247 and that the violation amounted to negligence per se:
No holder of a retail license or permit to sell low-point beer, or an employee or agent of a holder of such a license or permit, shall knowingly, willfully and wantonly sell, deliver or furnish low-point beer to an intoxicated person. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment in the county jail for a term of not more than six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Such violation shall be additional grounds for revocation of any license or permit for the sale of low-point beer as and in the manner provided by law.
There are three elements required in order for a violation of a statute to rise to the level of negligence per se. Boyles v. Oklahoma Natural Gas, Co.,
( 25 The first element requires Plaintiffs to establish that Hillerest violated 37 O.S8. § 247. Section 247 addresses the conduct of a "holder of a retail license or permit to sell low-point beer" or the employee or agent of a "holder of a retail license or permit to sell low-point beer". Hillerest is not a "holder of
¶ 26 Because the statute does not apply to Hillerest, Hillerest did not violate it. The first element of negligence per se is missing. Accordingly, we need not address the remaining elements. '
III. DRAM SHOP LIABILITY ASSERTED AGAINST WILLOW CREEK GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB.
A. On the Day in Question Willow Creek Occupied the Status of a Commercial Vendor of Alcohol and Not the Status of an Agent of a Social Host .
127 Willow Creek asserts in its Motion for Summary Judgment that the uncon-troverted facts of the case establish it is the agent of a social host, Hillerest,. Willow Creek argues that it is therefore entitled to the same insulation from lability to injured third parties that a social host enjoys. However, we find instead that the uncontroverted facts establish, as a matter of law, that Willow Creek occupied the status of a commercial vendor, not a social host with regard to its role in the Hillerest golf tournament fund raiser.
128 These facts are as follows. First, Willow Creek was a licensed commercial vendor of aleohol, serving aleohol by virtue of its license on the evening of June 20, 1997. Secondly, the golf tournament participants could exchange their drink tickets at Willow Creek's clubhouse bar for any two drinks of the player's choosing. Third, by the terms of the banquet and function contract, Willow Creek charged Hillcrest for each coupon redeemed and was then reimbursed by Hill-crest for each drink provided. Willow Creek's invoice shows it served and charged Hillcrest for: 27 import beers, 8 wines, 71 house liquors, 131 premium liquors, and 18 domestic beers. Willow Creek charged Hill-crest $858.70 for the 255 drinks served as a result of redeemed tickets. Finally, Alexander ordered two beers at the Willow Creek clubhouse reception and "paid" for them by redeeming his two drink coupons.
129 An agency relationship generally exists if two parties agree one is to act for the other. Garrison v. Bechtel Corp.,
130 Instead the uncontroverted facts clearly establish that on June 20, 1997, Willow Creek was a country club engaged in the comimercial enterprise of selling and serving alcohol to commercial invitees. Serving alcohol as a licensed commercial vendor operated to Willow Creek's financial benefit, both assisting the club in attracting business, while at the same time providing income from the bar itself. This profit potential, available to liquor vendors, is a primary consideration in this Court's rationale for tavern owner dram shop liability. See Tomlinson v. Love's Country Stores, Inc.,
131 Willow Creek proposes two primary arguments in support of its contention that it was simply an "independent purveyor of spirits" and "had no incentive to sell drinks and did not do so." First, Willow Creek stresses the attenuated process of the drink/ticket arrangement used at the clubhouse reception. We find this argument unavailing. The fact remains that Willow Creek charged Hillcrest for each drink ticket redeemed. Willow Creek received more money each time a Hillcrest guest consumed an alcoholic beverage. The drink/ticket arrangement provided Willow Creek with the profit potential available to any tavern owner.
B. A Material Question of Fact Exists with Regard to Alexander's Noticeable Intoxication
183 In its further defense, Willow Creek asserts the uncontroverted facts establish that Willow Creek and its personnel had no knowledge, nor any reason to know, Alexander was visibly or noticeably intoxicated. In Brigance we held...
[That one who sells intoxicating beverages for on the premises consumption has a duty to exercise reasonable care not to sell liquor to a noticeably intoxicated person. It is not unreasonable to expect a commercial vendor who sells alcoholic beverages for on the premises consumption to a person he knows or should know from the circumstances is already intoxicated, to foresee the unreasonable risk of harm to others who may be injured by such person's impaired ability to operate an automobile. Brigance,725 P.2d at 304 .
134 Cireumstantial evidence can be used to establish whether the vendor knew or should have known of the inebriate's visible or noticeable intoxication. Copeland v. Tela Corp.,
1 35 Contrary to Willow Creek's assertion, the facts regarding whether Willow Creek or any of its workers knew or should have known Alexander was intoxicated are far from uncontroverted. While Willow Creek provided evidentiary material to support its own assertions, the summary judgment record also includes evidentiary material provided by Plaintiffs which dispute Willow Creeks' asserted facts. The record contains evidence describing a loud argument between Alexander and another tournament participant on the course. In addition, the police noted Alexander's slurred speech, his inability to walk and the fact he failed field sobriety tests given him immediately after the accident, which occurred shortly after Alexander left the reception. In fact, the police were so concerned about Alexander's state that they left a blood aleohol testing kit at the hospital, which ultimately revealed Alexander's .19 blood aleohol level. At best, the evidence with regard to Alexander's noticeable intoxication is conflicting, making it an inappropriate basis upon which to rest a summary judgment.
IV. CONCLUSION
136 Despite Plaintiffs' contentions, the summary judgment record demonstrates that Hillerest Health Center was not a commercial vendor of alcohol while hosting its June 20, 1997 golf tournament and fund raiser. In addition, the record does not support Plaintiffs' contentions that Hillerest and Willow Creek Golf Club were engaged in a joint venture or that Hillerest was negligent per
137 We find the record does support Plaintiffs' assertions that Willow Creek Golf Club was a commercial vendor of aleohol, selling liquor to Hillerest employees and associates, on June 20, 1997. Furthermore, we find the record contains disputed issues of material fact with regard to Neal Alexander's noticeable intoxication. We hold that the trial court erroneously granted Willow Creek's Motion for Summary Judgment.
138 The opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals is vacated and the trial court's judgment is affirmed in part and reversed in part and remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
189 CERTIORARI PREVIOUSLY GRANTED; COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS OPINION VACATED; DECISION OF THE TRIAL COURT AFFIRMED IN PART AND REVERSED IN PART AND CAUSE REMANDED WITH DIRECTIONS TO PROCEED IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH THIS OPINION.
Notes
. Alexander's sworn statement indicates that he consumed only beer on the day in question. The distinction between low point beer as a nonintoxicating liquor and other alcoholic beverages is not vital to the application of this opinion and words used in this opinion such as "liquor" and "alcohol" apply to both beer and other spirits.
. The record indicates Willow Creek billed the Hillcrest tournament, including golf cart rentals, banquet facilities, liquor, food, green fees, etc., to Willow Creek patron Ray Brazier who was affiliated with Hillcrest. Hillcrest then covered the event through Mr. Brazier's bill.
. Plaintiffs do not ask the Court to adopt a blanket social host liability scheme.
. Although not expressly urged in its petition for certiorari, Plaintiffs may have indirectly referenced two alternative theories of liability against Hillcrest: one, failure to exercise due care to secure a competent independent contractor for the work and; two, hiring an independent contractor to perform a hazardous activity, ie. the on-premises sale of alcohol. Neither of these implied theories have support in the evidentiary material in the summary judgment record on appeal.
. See supra note 2.
