Skip to main content
Law

You are not logged in. Your edit will be placed in a queue until it is peer reviewed.

We welcome edits that make the post easier to understand and more valuable for readers. Because community members review edits, please try to make the post substantially better than how you found it, for example, by fixing grammar or adding additional resources and hyperlinks.

10
  • 6
    Even if legal, it is certainly stupid, since the good-faith "new owner" is likely to report the car as stolen to the police. John may be able to sort things out in the end, but in the meantime, I hope he enjoys being on the receiving end of felony stops.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 4:29
  • 1
    @NateEldredge but how could the new owner report it as stolen when he should know that the purchase was illegal because he has no car title and the name on the title doesn't match with the deed of sale's seller's (thief's) name?
    – Harry McKenzie
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 4:38
  • 1
    @HarryMcKenzie a deed of sale is not required in Oregon. You just sign the title and report the sale to the DMV. Of course, the theif couldn't do this either unless he had the title and could fake John's signature. I'm not sure what's involved in reporting a sale, but I don't think the buyer would know if the seller didn't do it. If John kept the title and his driver license in the vehicle (not a good idea but people do it anyway), the theif could feasibly see the signature on the DL and forge one on the title.
    – Someone
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 4:40
  • 2
    I would also wonder about the "setting the belongings on the ground". That's a pretty cavalier way to handle the property of someone who may well be another innocent victim of the thief / fraudster. If anything were to happen to it, would John be liable?
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 4:47
  • 4
    @gnasher729: Being in the driveway might make the items slightly less vulnerable to theft, but not to other kinds of damage. Suppose among the items was an elaborate decorated cake. John sets it on the ground, and shortly thereafter, it starts to rain. This destroys the cake, with all its sweet green icing flowing down. Could the cake's owner recover from John, given that it took so long to bake the cake, and they'll never have that recipe again? Leaving a cake out in the rain could be considered negligent.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 14:43