Responsible Parents

Parents may inherently feel guilt or responsible for their child’s behavior, but to what extent are they legally obligated for something they themselves did not do? Arizona Revised Statute 12-661 states:

“Any act of malicious or willful misconduct of a minor which results in any injury to the person or property of another, to include theft or shoplifting, shall be imputed to the parents or legal guardian having custody or control of the minor whether or not such parents or guardian could have anticipated the misconduct for all purposes of civil damages…”

Parents are financially responsible, up to $10,000 per offense, even if they had no indication that their little darling was planning to commit a crime. When kids turn 18, they are then fully responsible, legally and financially, for their own actions. For most parents, the molding and guidance doesn’t end on the same day as the responsibility to pay for their children’s mistakes. For some it never does.