I gave an old clunker car to a friend / neighbor who is down and out.
I simply signed and dated the title, putting his name and address on it
in the appropriate spaces.
I left my plates on it so he wouldn't be pulled over on the way to the
courthouse to transfer the title.
A while later he said he hadn't transferred the title into his name,
because he had a warrant out for him due to unpaid fines, and he was
afraid if a cop called his plates in, he'd get pulled over and put in
jail. Hence he wants to continue to drive with my plates on it until he
can find someone else who will let him put the car in their name.
If it weren't for the plates thing, I wouldn't feel I had any
liability in the event of an accident -- since I signed off on the
title, and dated it, etc. as stated above.
But I think that since I didn't take my plates off of it, I would in
fact be responsible if he has an accident resulting in damage / injury
to someone else.
He said if that actually happened (and he's being "extra careful" you
know) -- I could just say we forgot to take them off at the time, and I
couldn't get back with him afterward to get them... and hence I wouldn't
really be in trouble.
I had taken my insurance off the car the day after I gave it to him.
This is a close friend of 30+ years but he's one of those "fly under
the radar types" (hence the unpaid fines and the situation he's in now.)
I got concerned today and put my previous liability insurance back on
it, just in case something happened, in which case I'd be covered if it
was determined to still technically be my car -- even though I'd signed
away the title. But having done that may further suggest my culpability
in the event of an accident.
Note that I am already aware of the fact that this whole thing is a
bad idea, and I request that nobody beats me up too badly in this forum
with their replies.
The guy in question here is basically homeless, staying with friends
here and there, whilst he tries to find work (which is VERY hard to find
around here -- rural area).
So basically, I gave him some wheels, and paid to have his cell phone
turned on so he could then find and perform work and get back on his
feet.
I know he'd be in trouble if he gets caught driving like that, since
it's a huge no-no to drive a car with the incorrect plates on it, but
what are the legal ramifications for me?
The more responses I get to this, the better, and the more intellegent
and concise they are -- even better yet. Then I can show them to him
and offer it as proof that it's a horrible idea.
Obviously, I can't ask the cops, etc about it (they'd want to know
more), and the people at the Motor Vehicle Registration place may not
have a difinitive answer, and I don't want to consult a lawyer.
Actually it's such a stupid dilemma that I don't want to ask anyone
except in an anonymous discussion room where people can ask as crazy a
question as they want..TIA