Maybe I'm wrong ?

[shellyd67]

husband and I own a business with his brother and his wife. They have the "entitled" adult daughter that I posted about a few weeks back.

Here is the issue:

We (husband,me,brother in law & sister in law) own a "work" vehicle together. This gets husband and brother in law back and forth to work each day.

The vehicle is registered in my name as well as insured in my name.

We decided it was best not to insure or register under the business name or husband and brother in law personally due to being owners of said business.

Anyhoo, sister in law asks me if neice can use work vehicle this weekend because her and brother in law want to go away and she has no way to work and back.

I say no she cannot unless you (sister in law) put car and insurance in your name.

I will not be responsible for neice (who wrecked her own car 4x) and he underage boyfriend.

sister in law and brother in law are po'd and it is ugly here at work.

I am so sick of them making her mine and husband's equal! As if she is entitled to all that we have earned !

husband totally supports me and is willing to go toe to toe if need be...

Sigh ...

 

[InsaneCdn]

Would they ask for YOUR "personal" vehicle? Same diff, really. The person who holds the plate... holds the controls.

 

[keista]

I agree with you 1000%! I wouldn't let her use the vehicle even if it was registered under the business. Forget her wrecking the vehicle itself. That is small potatoes when you stop and think that next time she may take out somebody else. And what if this somebody else decides to sue, after finding out that the car is associated with this business? Buh-bye business.

Sounds like it's set up like a partnership. Maybe it's time to start thinking of an LLC?

 

[shellyd67]

It is brother in law and sister in law's car as much as it is ours. However, it is NOT their daughters and her lack of a vehicle is NOT mine nor husband's issue.

Technically at 20 years old it shouldn't be her parents issue either but that is another story all together ...

 

[DammitJanet]

Yeah....honestly I think I would start thinking about changing the way this business is being run. Go to a LLC and put the vehicle in the businesses name and get it out of yours. If something happens, you are going to be held liable. I still wouldnt let anyone else drive the car though. Im picky that way.

 

[InsaneCdn]

It is brother in law and sister in law's car as much as it is ours.

Ummm... not as far as the law is concerned. It is registered in YOUR name, and insured in YOUR name... they wouldn't have a leg to stand on if the company folded... YOU would get the vehicle.
"
I agree with Janet - even IF it was the "company" vehicle, I'd have problems with anyone other than the specific designated drivers, driving it.

 

[AnnieO]

The truck my husband uses for his business is in my name.

It only is insured under MY and husband's names. Onyxx while she has her temps, though she's terrified of it (hee hee).

If, say, father in law drives it and something happens - it's OUR insurance.

I don't EVER lend vehicles to people I am not related to - and that includes nephew and niece and sister in law. They're too far. Even father in law is pushing it.

 

[Star*]

I look for (soon) the business to buy daughter a vehicle.

I would also look (soon) for you and husband to get out of business with sister in law and brother in law ----and just form your own LLC. NUF SED.

 

[shellyd67]

We can't get out of the business, nor do we want to. I do wish they would get out of the business though ... I hate to admit this but we also own a summer home with them ... They are thinking of selling out of the summer home though cause daughter will have no way to work and they can't go away on the weekends ... LMBO really ?

My mom and dad traveled the world when I was 20 years old and didn't give a hoot if I had a way to work !!! They are pathetic

 

[Ktllc]

It seems like the lines are blurry between business and personal. It often happens when family members work together. But when things go wrong: blurry is never good. And family does not even matter when things go down the drain.
Maybe time to have an unpleasant talk and get all legal? Afterall, it will protect you all and might even prevent some anoyance (like your niece with business assets).
Bottom line, you are right. Does it make it any easier, probably not.

 

[susiestar]

You are totally making the right call. This is NOT the business's car, not legally regardless of who paid for it. Why was it put in YOUR name and under YOUR insurance? Probably bc their insurance rates are sky high bc they cannot set boundaries or limits with their adult daughter. So this is YOUR car and NO WAY should you EVER allow their daughter to operate it. How would husband and brother in law get to work after she wrecks the car? Not if, when, bc she WILL wreck anything she uses as long as she is so entitled. she has PROVEN this.

Let them be ugly, they are the ones being idiots. protect yourself and your children. I had a LOT of people angry with me after I insisted that one of our cats be put to sleep. We did it through the humane society because we couldn't afford the private vet's fees. The very next weekend (2 days later) we were at a chldren's event in our city and dang if they did not have our cat in the adoption van as adoptible and good with kids. We decided to put the cat to sleep because no matter who owned him if he bit anyone then WE would be financially liable and we knew of recent cases wehre an adopted cat bit and did serious harm and the people who first owned him lost everything. This cat would go and find Jess and bite her if he didn't get what he wanted when he wanted it. I won't keep an animal that bites, just not going to happen. I had the people in the adoption van, TWO families with small kids (under 3) who wanted to adopt him, the entire staff at the humane society and two deputy sheriffs angry with me, not to mention my own kids, but I still insisted that they NOT adopt him and that he be put to sleep and we insisted on PROOF that they put him to sleep. I was NOT going to lose everything because someone decided I the cat was "too cute" to be put to sleep just because he bit. MY NAME was still on his records and it would still have come back to ME.

This is very much the same thing. YOU, not husband, not the business, not sister in law or brother in law or their spoiled brat of a daughter would be the on SUED. Are you prepared to see EVERYTHING you own and all you could ever earn in the rest of your life go down the tubes and into someone else's pocket just because they want their daughter to have an easy way to get to work?

WOuld YOU ever demand that they allow your adult child to use their vehicle to do something?

Right now the legalities are that it is YOUR future on the line if she has an accident. NOT her parents, not hers, not the business. YOURS. You MUST think of the future and what is best for your and your children. If this is such a big deal to them, they can go out and buy another car from a cheap car lot before they leave for the weekend. They can pony up THEIR money or else give her $$ to get a taxi to work. I would flat out tell them that they are mean and rude to expect you to put your future and your good name on the line just because they want to over-indulge their child to the point that she wrecks four cars and sees no problems with her driving. Ask them WHY her driving to work for a weekend, and their weekend plans, are more important than your children's future because when she wrecks it will be YOU that gets sued and not them. Ask them why her driving on a weekend so they can go out of town is so important that they would risk the only means of transportation for not just brother in law but also for your husband and the ONLY transportation for your business. If this is an example of their "best business judgement" then maybe they should sell out before they drive all of you into bankruptcy.

I know I sound harsh, but it is a harsh world. Their weekend amusement is NOT worth endangering your future. T hey are selfish selfish selfish.