My dad wont return my car
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
My dad wont return my car
I am the legal owner of my car, no ones else is on the title just me. My dad called law enforcement because he thought i was attacking him so now we have a no contact and I have a DV4 on my record. I stayed a night in jail and when i was released no one was there to for me. Anyway when I got to a friends place I used his laptop to get ahold of my mom to see if I could get my stuff. She told me my dad has my car and he took all the things that i had in it out. first off he never had permission to be driving it. the next day i tried to message my mom no answer, the day after that i got ahold of my mom and tried to get my car back again she told me that the car was not there and that is in a shop somewhere because its not running. my car was working fine that day he had me arrested. so no i am worried that he got into a accident or is lying and just hid it. what do i do?
Asked on August 6, 2019 under Accident Law, Washington
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 4 years ago | Contributor
You can sue your father for the car--that is essentially what the officer meant when he called this a "civil" matter: that you need to bring it to civil court. You can sue for either the car's value (procedurally easier) or for a court order for its physical return (procedurally harder). You would sue based on theft: even then something is not the crime of theft, there is a civil cause of action based on taking another's property and not returning it.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.