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Civil Responsibility

Each state has its own law regarding parents’ financial responsibility for the acts of their children. Parents are responsible for their children’s harmful actions much the same way that employers are responsible for the harmful actions of their employees. This legal concept is known a vicarious liability. The parent is vicariously liable, despite not being directly responsible for the injury. A number of states hold parents financially responsible for damages caused by their children. Some of these states, however, place limits on the amount of liability. The laws vary from state to state, but many cover such acts as vandalism to government or school property; defacement or destruction of the national and state flags, cemetery headstones, public monuments/historical markers; also, property destroyed in hate crimes, based on race or religion, such as ransacking a synagogue. Personal injury in connection with any of these may also be included.


Inside Civil Responsibility