Q: My brother just got arrested on a dui for wreck where he ran a stop sign. He went to jail and is out now.
Now the people in which he had the wreck with are attempting to sue me for being the owner of the vehicle and not having insurance and allowing him to drive while knowing my brother didn't have a license. They are asking for 10,000 dollars in a matter of weeks and there is no way I can pay this. What should I do? They are talking about pressing criminal charges against the both of us.
A: If you are the registered owner of a vehicle, you can be civilly liable for any damages cause by that vehicle. With respect to criminal charges, understand people cannot file criminal charges, police and prosecutors can. People can file an incident report with the police, and the detective assigned to the case will make a determination as to what criminal charges should be filed against whom. Your brother needs an attorney for the DWI case, regardless of what happens regarding the damages from the car wreck. You both should sit down with a local attorney. Good luck.
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