Legal Question in Family Law in Michigan

Parental Responsibility Laws in Michigan

If a 17 year old boy has a car titled in his own name & his own auto insurance, can his parents be held responsible for any accidents, tickets, crimes, etc. that the car is involved in?


Asked on 12/16/97, 11:47 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Robert Friend Robert H. Friend, Attorney at Law

Parental Responsibility for a Minor

In my state (NC) a 17 year old is a minor and, as such, the parents could be liable for damages caused by the minor up to $2,000. And that, of course, would only help if the parents were not judgment proof. The 17-year-old's car insurance would have to pay whatever the policy (or state law) requires in NC. I don't think of any other liability of the parents in NC, unless they were somehow link to the crime, etc. Also, if the child had been emancipated I would expect that the parents would only be liable in NC for stuff that they were actually involved in. The fact that a minor has a car and, say, kills somebody with it, and the car had no legal connection with the parents (nor did the action of the "child") would probably let the parents off the hook in my state.

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Answered on 12/17/97, 1:12 pm


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