Legal Question in Family Law in California

Even if you did that and pay off the loan, it will probably be too easy for him to explain to the police that you two had an ongoing arrangement for him to have possession of the car and he did not know you paid off the loan. At that point, you might have to take things to court as a civil matter to retrieve possession of the car from him.

Unfortunately, that's the risk of co-signing for a loan since the other party may not act responsibly. If you don't pay off the loan as above, you would want to continue making payments on the loan or risk defaulting, which would harm your credit. However, if he really needs the car, your telling him that you will stop making payments and actually stop making payments may get him to pay to prevent it from being repossessed. It's like a poker game of who blinks first.

Larry L. Doan, Esq.

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