By Katie Wagner, Staff Writer
A deal with Princeton Borough Municipal Court Judge Russell Annich could let the private Tiger Inn eating club off the legal hook, if it succeeds in getting drinking at its Princeton University student parties under control.
Under Monday’s court agreement the Prospect Avenue club must avoid convictions for alcohol-related offenses through June 2. If it does so, a charge of serving alcoholic beverages to a minor, brought by the Princeton Borough Police in September, will be lifted.
However, if a conviction does result from alcohol being served at a Tiger Inn function during that period, the club will be required, under the agreement, to enter a guilty plea in connection with the September incident.
The agreement also requires that Tiger Inn refrain from serving alcoholic beverages for the entire month of January.
The club’s president, Princeton University student Christopher Merrick, was initially charged with serving alcohol to a minor and maintaining a nuisance. Judge Annich agreed to dismiss the charge of maintaining a nuisance at Princeton Borough Prosecutor Kim Otis’ request on Monday.
The other charge, serving alcohol to a minor, was transferred from Mr. Merrick to the club’s graduate governing board.
Both charges were originally filed against the club president based on a claim made by a severely intoxicated person under 21 years old, New Jersey’s legal drinking age, who was treated at University Medical Center at Princeton early this school year. The person told police he had been served alcoholic beverages at the Tiger Inn.
But attorneys in the case have differing views on whether or not the intoxicated person actually consumed alcohol at the Tiger Inn.
”There is a certain issue that made it difficult for the state to proceed,” Mr. Otis said in court Monday, explaining that the person who was intoxicated does not live in New Jersey and cannot be subpoenaed. He added that the person still needs to confirm where he actually consumed alcoholic beverages.
Richard Thompson, a member of the club’s graduate board who has agreed to represent Tiger Inn, said he has confidence that Mr. Merrick and the Tiger Inn’s other undergraduate officers will make efforts to limit more alcohol-related problems from happening.
He added, “But to have 100-percent confidence that you will be able to do this, you’d have to be crazy.”
During the court proceeding, Judge Annich said he appreciated that Tiger Inn had volunteered to maintain a dry club throughout January, but warned of how difficult meeting all the terms of the agreement would be.
”I don’t underestimate how difficult it will be to stay clean of alcohol offenses,” Judge Annich said. “I think that you’ve set a high bar for yourselves and I hope you make it.”
After the court hearing, G. Robert Wills, the attorney representing Tiger Inn and Mr. Merrick, acknowledged the difficulty of supervising who is served alcoholic beverages at eating club parties and said the Tiger Inn would file trespassing complaints against any person found to have entered the club uninvited.

