Fees for impound time of a car not registered to me

[Lancelot33]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

 

[Lancelot33]

So here's what happened

Almost 2 years ago I bought a car with stolen tags and backed fees, unknowningly of course. I proceeded to pay some of the fees to get the car registered but when attempting to smog, figured out that the car had too many problems and I could afford to pay for them.

The car ended up breaking down a few months later and I could not fix it because the engine had failed and again not worth fixing. I tried to sell the car for scrap but no one would buy it because I didn't have a pink slip because the car was never fully registered. The car was parked in a free public spot for almost 6 months until it was towed to a police garage.

The car was sold at auction recently. The tow yard says I was responsible for the car and need to pay the backed impound fees over 1500$. The tow yard claims my name was partially registered to the car even though I did a title search for the car and my name is not listed. The tow yard sent me bills but now has handed it off to a collection agency. Some one please help me find a way to get out of this I am feeling like I am getting the shaft on this one! Appreciate any help I can get, thank you.

 

[CdwJava]

Your name may not have been on the TITLE, but, was the vehicle REGISTERED to you? Or, did you ever submit a release of liability in your name?

The tow yard will have difficulty collecting from you if you are not the registered or titled owner, and there was never a release of liability in your name. Very often, they threaten anyone they can who is associated with the vehicle even if they are not someone they could legally collect from.