Driving w/o license vehicle impounded/liability

[yogist09]

California, First off I would like to thank this forum for the opportunity in obtaining legal advice,secondly to whomever will be responding.

My best friend recently leased a vehicle which required a down payment followed by monthly payments,The car was for her boyfriend in which he promised to pay monthly,her boyfriend was driving without a license,when he was pulled over by the local pd and questioned,the vehicle was impounded and taken from her by the bank,he was not arrested.The agreement was that he would pay on a monthly basis,and cover all fees,he dissapeared without a trace,and left my friend with the impounding fees,loss of down payments,and liability for the vehicle on behalf of the bank,which holds a binding contract and has suffecient standing to enforce breach of contract(lease v.s consumer).My friend later found out the boyfriend was a temporary alien,without license or legal documentation,he had showed her a fake and altered license.this was an intentional scam,and basically she is stuck now.The police department said it was her fault for lending her vehicle over to him,but how could such intent be foreseeable? What can she do?? I would appreciate any help and advice provided

Thank You

 

[lwpat]

basically she is stuck now

You are correct. She has the option of either paying all of the fees and bringing the lease up to date or letting the bank take the car and have it on her credit report for the next seven years.

Normally she would be better off to get the car back and then sell it herself even at a loss. This would depend on the original lease agreement. Otherwise she can expect continual hounding and phone calls from collection agencies. The bank may also take her to court and get a judgement which could then be collected in accordance with state law.

 

[yogist09]

Alternatives?

Is there any way she can lessen her liability is she were to file a police report or even file a claim with the bank?