Friend borrowed car and ruined it

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Question

Country: United States of America
State: West Virginia

My friend purchased a vehicle in May 2004. As per arrangement the vehicle was titled and insured in his name along with the financing through the bank. I was given the car under the agreement that I would be responsible for the payments, and insurance every month until loan was paid in full. We had a paper stating this signed by a notary. As of September 28 2005 I had kept my end of the agreement. On September 29, 2005 my friend ran into some problems and destroyed his vehicle, he then decides he is taking the one I have been paying for. Now he has ruined the motor and has to pay $5,000 to get it replaced. My question is do I have a good enough case to get what I paid into the car back, around $3500 not including the insurance payments I made.

Answer

Yes-Based on what you say here, you could probably file suit against him (or at least threaten to do so) in small claims court or in regular court; filing in small claims court is easier and requires no attorney.you could try to collect all of the costs and damages that you suffered due to his behavior.