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Lent my car to a friend who wont give it back.

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Bowesmj0

Junior Member
FL

I have lent my car to a friend who has regestered it in their name with the understanding that this is a short term loan. No formal paperwork was completed as i trusted the person was loaning it to. Now, 3 months later, i have requested the car back and my friend refuses to take my calls or respond to my texts. I do have text conversations where they state that the car is mine and they they will give it back but that is all the evidence i have that proves that the arangement made. At this point im considering legal recourse but i do not know if i have a case.
 


jiggy78

Member
Maybe those prove what you think they prove.

How much is the car worth ballpark? The small claims limit in Florida is $5,000.
 

jiggy78

Member
You could sue this person in small claims court for up to 5k. The Judge will decide if he believes your story. If you won, then you would have the fun job of trying to collect. Does this person have assets or a job?

Here's your problem. Since you signed the title/registration over to him, you gave him the vehicle. It is now his property.
 

sandyclaus

Senior Member
FL

I have lent my car to a friend who has regestered it in their name with the understanding that this is a short term loan. No formal paperwork was completed as i trusted the person was loaning it to. Now, 3 months later, i have requested the car back and my friend refuses to take my calls or respond to my texts. I do have text conversations where they state that the car is mine and they they will give it back but that is all the evidence i have that proves that the arangement made. At this point im considering legal recourse but i do not know if i have a case.
One does not transfer ownership on a vehicle that they are lending to someone. If the vehicle was simply being loaned out for an extended period of time, there would be no reason to have them register it under their name.

I suspect that there's a lot more to this story that we aren't being told - specifically, the details of this alleged extended vehicle loan that would make it a loan and not a permanent transfer of ownership.

Bottom line, it's no longer YOUR car. It now legally belongs to the person you gave it to, and to whom the vehicle is now legally registered. Try to challenge this in court, and you'll almost certain to find yourself on the losing end.
 

latigo

Senior Member
FL

I have lent my car to a friend who has regestered it in their name with the understanding that this is a short term loan. No formal paperwork was completed as i trusted the person was loaning it to. Now, 3 months later, i have requested the car back and my friend refuses to take my calls or respond to my texts. I do have text conversations where they state that the car is mine and they they will give it back but that is all the evidence i have that proves that the arangement made. At this point im considering legal recourse but i do not know if i have a case.
Read and learn, man and stop being such a wimp!

Florida Statute 812.014: Theft by Conversion
A person commits theft by conversion, when having lawfully obtained funds or other property of another under an agreement or other known legal obligation to make a specific application of such funds of specific disposition of property, he knowingly converts the funds or property to his own use in violation of such agreement or legal obligation.
 

Bowesmj0

Junior Member
The full story here is that a friend of mine was in an abusive relationship, or at least thats what i was told, and could not get out because they had no way to get around. They were currently using their partners car to get to and from work. i had the car sitting around and offered to loan it to them with the understanding that it was a temp solution until they could get back on their feet or until i needed it back. They said it had to be transfered to their name because if their license plate was not regestered they would lose their license. I trusted that this person would return the car when asked for but now that im asking, they are not returning my phone calls or texts.
 

eerelations

Senior Member
They said it had to be transfered to their name because if their license plate was not regestered they would lose their license.
This is so bogus! I've never had a driver's license or a car and even I can tell this is completely and utterly bogus. :eek:
 

BL

Senior Member
The full story here is that a friend of mine was in an abusive relationship, or at least thats what i was told, and could not get out because they had no way to get around. They were currently using their partners car to get to and from work. i had the car sitting around and offered to loan it to them with the understanding that it was a temp solution until they could get back on their feet or until i needed it back. They said it had to be transfered to their name because if their license plate was not regestered they would lose their license. I trusted that this person would return the car when asked for but now that im asking, they are not returning my phone calls or texts.
Did the car have legal tags on it when it was sitting around ?
 

sandyclaus

Senior Member
Well, congratulations. Your so-called friend just suckered you into giving them a car for free that you're probably not ever going to get back. Heck, they may even add insult to injury by trying to SELL the car back to you.
 

tranquility

Senior Member
The full story here is that a friend of mine was in an abusive relationship, or at least thats what i was told, and could not get out because they had no way to get around. They were currently using their partners car to get to and from work. i had the car sitting around and offered to loan it to them with the understanding that it was a temp solution until they could get back on their feet or until i needed it back. They said it had to be transfered to their name because if their license plate was not regestered they would lose their license. I trusted that this person would return the car when asked for but now that im asking, they are not returning my phone calls or texts.
I still agree with latigo, this is conversion. If you wanted to get technical, it could be theft by false pretenses. (Or, in FL, just theft.) While the OP clearly signed on the dotted line, it was done under false knowledge of the situation. Unless there are some facts to indicate that, under the goodness of his heart, the OP wanted to gift the vehicle to the other person (Or, for some payment in some way.), I think he has a shot. Are text messages enough? I don't know. But, just because the OP is a fool, does not mean the deceiver gets a free car.
 

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