Can a co-signer ona carlease be held liable in the event of an accident?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Can a co-signer ona carlease be held liable in the event of an accident?
I want to lease a car for my fiance but the title, registration, and insurance will all be in her name. I will be making all payments on the car but she will be the only one driving. If there is an accident can I be sued by the parties involved?
Asked on May 19, 2011 under Accident Law, New Jersey
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
If you are not an owner of the vehicle (e.g. you are not on the title), then you are not resonsible for traffice accidents, traffic tickets, parking tickets, etc. Your own responsibility in the law is for the payment of the loan, such as if the other signor does not make payments.
That's under the law. As a practical matter, it's not unlikely that you will be initially named in a lawsuit, because the other side may assume--or at least wish to proceed under--the assumption that you are in fact an owner of vehicle itself, and not merely someone financing it, so to speak. You may need therefore to provide evidence that it is not your car.
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.