The US brewer Coors Brewing Co., is to be hit with a lawsuit attacking for allegedly promoting underage drinking. The lawsuit on this occasion has been brought by the mother of a 19-year-old killed in a traffic accident. Jodie Pisco, of Reno, contends Coors has failed in its duty to protect the country's youth from drinking. Her son, Ryan, was killed in 2002 after he drank Coors at a party and drove his girlfriend's car into a light pole at 90 mph, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit, filed April 14 in Washoe County District Court, seeks unspecified damages. It accused Coors of ''glorifying a culture of youth, sex and glamor while hiding the dangers of alcohol abuse and addiction.'' Laura Sankey, a spokeswoman for Golden, Colo.-based Coors, said that although she could not comment on pending litigation, the company ''doesn't want underage consumers -- period.''

''Tragedies like this further reinforce why the fight against underage drinking and drunk driving must continue,'' Sankey told the Reno Gazette-Journal. Also named in the suit were Ryan Pisco's girlfriend and her mother. The lawsuit alleges the girlfriend allowed Pisco, who lacked a valid driver's license, to drive off in her car, which had been given to her by her mother.

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