Overview

• Lidl was fined €5,000 by the Cour de cassation for the 2021 sale of alcohol to a 16-year-old who later died in a scooter crash.
• The court also ordered a €2,500 payment to the Association nationale de prévention en alcoologie et addictologie for legal costs.
• Judges found the store failed to require proof of majority, noting cashiers had no instruction to systematically verify buyers’ ages.
• The vodka was bought at a Lidl in Urrugne by two minors; the friend who later struck the victim on a scooter was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
• Lidl did not immediately comment, while Addictions France welcomed the decision as important for public health after tests found 86% of outlets sold alcohol to minors.