Under ______, a bar owner or bartender may be held liable for injuries caused by a person who became intoxicated while drinking at the bar or who was already intoxicated when served by the bartender.

A) dram shop acts
B) Good Samaritan statutes
C) bar owner liability acts
D) defamation acts

Dram shop acts are laws that hold alcohol-serving establishments liable for harm caused by their intoxicated patrons. These laws apply to bars, taverns, and other places where alcohol is served, making them responsible if they serve alcohol to visibly intoxicated individuals or minors who subsequently cause harm to others.