My car with liability insurance only was stolen and wrecked by a 17 year old. Are his parents responsible and will their insurance pay for my car to be fixed?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
My car with liability insurance only was stolen and wrecked by a 17 year old. Are his parents responsible and will their insurance pay for my car to be fixed?
My car as stolen and used in a robbery. The 17 was caught. Who will pay for my
damages? I have only liability and my insurance will do nothing to help due to
this. I will be subpoenaed to court but not sure if the court will mandate the
parents to pay or do I need a lawyer?
Asked on January 7, 2017 under Accident Law, Virginia
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
The parents are liable for the wrongful acts--such as car theft and wrecking your car--of their child. So you can sue them for the money. But you will have to sue them in all likelihood; while the criminal court can sometimes order restitution--that they repay the victim--the primary purpose of criminal court is punishing the criminal, not reimbursement or compensation; therefore, in many or most criminal (or family court, if he's still treated as a minor) cases, no payment is made to the victim. Therefore, you will have to sue for the money.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.