Expert: Denise - 6/5/2008

Question
My son and a friend who was visiting us, were playing in front of our house. A neighbor apparently yelled at them for riding their bikes too fast down the sidewalk. (I didn't witness this; they told me about it later.) The next day, the neighbor called and said someone had scratched his brand-new car which was parked in front of our house. My son's friend admitted that he was responsible for one of the scratches; he said he fell off his bike and the handlebar hit the car. The boy's parents agreed to pay for this damage. However, there are 2 other scratches on another part of the car; my son & his friend insist they had nothing to do with these. The neighbor is insisting that my homeowner's liability insurance should cover these additional scratches. Can you comment on this?

Answer
Hi Carol-
If your son didn't touch this neighbor's car, there is no liability that should come to you, only to the friend's parents.  Sounds to me like the neighbor is trying to get damage paid for that was caused at some other point in time.  He would have to provide proof that those other scratches were caused by your son.  Don't think you have anything to worry about here.  Hope this helps. :) Denise