Legal Question in Criminal Law in Minnesota

parent liability for juvenile

our 12 year old daughter & 2 friends sratched their name on the base of our cities watertower - barely scratching the surface. It is an area approx. 2 FT x 1 FT. There is alot of other graffiti on the tower. The city says us 3 families should pay for half of what it says it will cost to repaint. Our share is $373. Is this fair-can they do this ?


Asked on 2/13/07, 10:14 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
John Jesperson Minnesota Lawyers - Jesperson Law Offices

Re: parent liability for juvenile

Thank you for your question.

Unfortunately, if there is some way of identifying your daughter as one of the scriveners, then yes, they can ask you to contribute to the cost of repair.

I am frequently asked questions about the liability of parents for the actions of their children. In many cases, the parent will be responsible for the child's conduct, and in particular, for damages caused by the child. As a general rule, that responsibility continues until a child is emancipated, although there are exceptions.

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Answered on 2/14/07, 1:22 am


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