• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

Writing and signing a receipt in someone's stead.

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

W

Whatabouttheforests?

Member
Hello everyone. I am not sure if this post is in the right category. I live in California. I wrote a receipt, accepted payment, and signed the receipt for someone regarding a car they sold because they had an emergency and could not be there to accept the money or write a receipt themselves. I am not sure what involvement I now have in that deal as I signed my own name and wrote a receipt which roughly stated the seller received a dollar amount on such and such date with my signature and date at the bottom. If anyone could give me any hints at where I might find more information about this or what my level of legal involvement now is, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!
 


Zigner

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Your responsibility is to make sure that the seller gets the money that you accepted on his (or her) behalf. After that, there's nothing for you to do.
 
W

Whatabouttheforests?

Member
Zigner said:
Your responsibility is to make sure that the seller gets the money that you accepted on his (or her) behalf. After that, there's nothing for you to do.
Click to expand...

So if the buyer of the car is unhappy or they and the seller have a falling out or disagreement or dispute or whatever it may be, I have no legal involvement, recourse, or obligation to go to small claims court or anything?
 
Zigner

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Whatabouttheforests? said:
So if the buyer of the car is unhappy or they and the seller have a falling out or disagreement or dispute or whatever it may be, I have no legal involvement, recourse, or obligation to go to small claims court or anything?
Click to expand...
Let's start out by saying that, at this point, you are worrying over nothing but hypothetical scenarios.

If your are sued, then you need to respond appropriately to the suit...up to and including showing up in court. Other than that, your involvement is done.
 
W

Whatabouttheforests?

Member
PayrollHRGuy said:
The thing is you could be sued for walking down the street while the deal was going on. It is not a problem unless it happens.
Click to expand...
Do you mean in regards to signing the receipt? If so, why would that be? On what basis could I be sued regarding signing the receipt? I realize that nothing has happened so far or may not happen, that's pretty obvious. I'm not a wait and see type of person. If something goes awry, I would like to know how I could possibly be affected or how I could be held responsible if the buyer and seller have some sort of issue. Such as, could I potentially be held responsible for refunding the money if the buyer goes back on the deal and the seller doesn't have the money or won't give the money back? Or where do I go to read about this kind of thing?
 
Last edited:
Zigner

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Whatabouttheforests? said:
Do you mean in regards to signing the receipt? If so, why would that be? On what basis could I be sued regarding signing the receipt? I realize that nothing has happened so far or may not happen, that's pretty obvious. I'm not a wait and see type of person. If something goes awry, I would like to know how I could possibly be affected or how I could be held responsible if the buyer and seller have some sort of issue. Such as, could I potentially be held responsible for refunding the money if the buyer goes back on the deal and the seller doesn't have the money or won't give the money back? Or where do I go to read about this kind of thing?
Click to expand...
The POINT is that you could be sued for anything, so there's no use in fretting over it. It sounds like you were simply the agent for the seller. The buyer knew that you weren't the seller. Make sure you get a receipt from the seller acknowledging that you gave them them money and the don't worry about it.
 
quincy

quincy

Senior Member
Whatabouttheforests? said:
Do you mean in regards to signing the receipt? If so, why would that be on what basis could I be sued regarding signing the receipt? I realize that nothing has happened so far or may not happen, that's pretty obvious. What I want to know is what could happen and why? Or where do I go to read about this kind of thing?
Click to expand...
If the person you signed for agreed to let you accept a payment on his behalf, there is no problem as long as you turn over the full amount of the payment to him.

If you withhold money, or if you collected more than you should have and pocketed the excess, you could be held liable for this money.

Don’t worry until you are given reason to worry. Fretting over what-if’s is an unproductive use of your time.
 
W

Whatabouttheforests?

Member
Zigner said:
The POINT is that you could be sued for anything, so there's no use in fretting over it. It sounds like you were simply the agent for the seller. The buyer knew that you weren't the seller. Make sure you get a receipt from the seller acknowledging that you gave them them money and the don't worry about it.
Click to expand...
Ok, that's a good idea. Thanks.
 
W

Whatabouttheforests?

Member
quincy said:
If the person you signed for agreed to let you accept a payment on his behalf, there is no problem as long as you turn over the full amount of the payment to him.

If you withhold money, or if you collected more than you should have and pocketed the excess, you could be held liable for this money.

Don’t worry until you are given reason to worry. Fretting over what-if’s is an unproductive use of your time.
Click to expand...
Ok. Thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top