My uncle bought a car, but could not get it registered. He asked me to register the car for him. I did. First Mistake. He stopped paying the insurance, so I called the police to see what I could do. They told me to report the car as unauthorized use. and report the situation to DMV. DMV asked if he was supposed to drive the car, I said no. Since he started back drinking and quit his job, I was not helping him anymore. He would not go to DMV to transfer the title back to his name, and had been avoiding me. So the I canceled the tags and registration, but the title is still in my name. DMV referred me to the courts for the title. So the courts reffered me to get an attorney, because he has since then stolen the title from me,Summary. He bought the car, I registered it, and canceled the tags, reported the car to the cops and unauthorized use, Am I still responsible for anything he does in this car. He has been pulled over but never arrested.
2007-07-19 06:50:00 · 5 answers · asked by TO 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Insurance & Registration
It's your car. Go get it.
2007-07-23 16:34:53 · answer #1 · answered by walchung 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Uuugh. What an unfortunate situation to be in.
Unfortunately....as long as the vehicle is still titled to you - you are ultimately responsible.
Your insurance will likely deny any claim involving him since he is not an authorized driver. It would be considered a stolen vehicle and therefore no coverage would be afforded.
However...
There is something called implied consent which, if your uncle decides to get wise once he is liable for any kind of claim, could be argued against you. Essentially, that means since you knew he had the car/keys and was driving it with your permission (at the time) coverage could be afforded. Do you have any way of letting him know that he does not have permission to operate the vehicle? If you can not contact him, you might want to publish a notification in the newspaper. That might cover you for notice. Note the MIGHT part.
If I was handling a claim resulting from his negligent use I would consult with a coverage attorney to determine if implied consent would afford him coverage.
Sooooo...that's my two cents from an experienced insurance professional.
Goodluck!
~jifr!
PS - if you have not already reported the vehicle stolen - DO IT NOW! That way if he gets pulled over he WILL be arrested and you can get your vehicle back.
2007-07-19 15:25:55 · answer #2 · answered by Jifr 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are still the legal owner and if, God forbid, your drunken uncle crashes into a school bus full or kids and sends all of them to the ER you will have to face a judge. My advice, (and trust me, I hardly EVER suggest this) is to spend two hundred dollars and retain a lawyer to help guide you out of this disaster. That way if something horrible happens you will have shown to the court that you have done everything within reason to detach yourself from this situation. It will be money well spent.
2007-07-19 14:00:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You're still the legal owner so you can be held responsible. Personally, I'd put insurance back on the vehicle until I could take physical possession of it. If he gets drunk and takes out a school bus, you'll be sued right along with him!
Better yet, hire a repo man to pick it up and bring it to you. If he can't drive it, he can't kill anyone with it.
2007-07-19 13:55:25 · answer #4 · answered by Bostonian In MO 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
make sure that you keep the paperwork that shows that you have reported the car as STOLEN. This should release you from all liability.
2007-07-19 14:09:26 · answer #5 · answered by buttrfly52 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋