Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Am I resopnsible for my child's crime

My 15 year old son asked to ride his friend's $300 bike. The friend agreed. My son, then, ''loaned'' the bike to a guy he did not personally know, but met through another one of his friends. That guy stole the bike. Can the parents of the boy who owns the bike make my husband and I pay them $300 for the bike?


Asked on 3/26/03, 4:13 am

2 Answers from Attorneys
Edward Hoffman Law Offices of Edward A. Hoffman

Re: Am I resopnsible for my child's crime

You cannot be criminally punished for your child's crimes, but you can be held financially responsible for his torts including this one. What your son did may or may not be a crime, but it seems to amount to what lawyers call "conversion", a tort which is essentially defined as taking someone else's property and treating it as your own. If he were an adult he could be made to repay the value of the bike, but since he is a minor you are on the hook for it.

If prosecutors decide to treat this as a crime and go after him, he will be the one facedwith fines, probation, or possibly incarceration. You won't face any of these penalties.

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Answered on 3/26/03, 1:52 pm
Lyle Johnson Bedi and Johnson Attorneys at Law

Re: Am I resopnsible for my child's crime

If you have a home owner's or renter's policy report the incident to the insurance company and let them take care of it.

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Answered on 3/26/03, 10:14 pm


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