Chrysler CEO's wife subject of underage drinking scandal
Categories: Media
Gisele Zetsche, wife of Chrysler Group CEO Dieter Zetsche, is in
hot water after serving beer to several underage teens at her Bloomfield Township home in June. The party was attended
by one hundred teens; Gisela was present but her husband was not. Police responding to a noise complaint, and charged
her with allowing minors to drink. According to witnesses this is not the first party hosted at the Zetsche home with
alcohol provided to minors. In April 2004 an after-prom party was attended by several hundred students and lasted until
4 a.m. In Germany, where the Zetsche's are from originally, the legal drinking age is 16. Dieter Zetsche is unavailable
for comment. "I think it's adequate that you talked with the public relations department (of
Chrysler)," he said from the front door of his home. "Let's just leave it at that, OK?"
Several parents of the 21 teens cited for underage drinking at the June party said they were upset
with Mrs. Zetsche for allowing it to happen. These parties are not entirely new, as Jay Allen reported in April, but police in Bloomfield
Township are, according to Chief of Police Jeffrey Warner, paying more attention to the issue as it's a "serious
offense." Perhaps the Zetsche's need to read "How to be a cool yet responsible
parent"?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jay Allen 12-18-2005 @ 6:34PM
I believe Bill Anderson, the Rhode Island dad, had permission from the parents beforehand. He also confiscated keys at the door. Anderson was trying to provide a safe haven for his kids and others, whereas it appears Zetsche was just going for the "cool mom" points.
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L. 12-18-2005 @ 6:34PM
When in Rome..... obey Roman laws. Just because the legal drinking age in Germany is 16 doesn`t mean that law carries over, and it was arrogant for this woman to assume that she was above the law for any reason, in spite of her wealth and high social status.
We just moved from Tokyo, where I would sometimes leave my kids home alone unsupervised from the age of 7. You better believe I will not be doing this in the U.S., or I would expect to face the legal consequences if caught.
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MelissaS 12-18-2005 @ 6:34PM
In fairness Ms Zetsche never claimed ignorance, it was only a side note in the original Detroit Free Press article, explaining her own lax position on 'underage drinking'.
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L. 12-18-2005 @ 6:34PM
Yes, that was my point -- she never claimed ignorance. She surely must have known the U.S. legal drinking age, but instead she acted on her own beliefs, her own lax position, which was likely shaped by the norms in her former country.
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Jered Townsend 12-18-2005 @ 6:34PM
It is quite amazing that the police officers on the scene could smell alcohol 50 yards away on the street. The cops must be superhuman. Let's be real, no one can smell alcohol 50 yards (150 feet) away.
Reply