Legal Question in Insurance Law in California

leasing company liability for lessee acident

What is the maximun amount of money a leasing company is liable for if a lessee has an accident with a truck that is on a 60 month lease and the driver of the truck is cited for causing an accident inwhich a death of a child accures. The leasing company has no contral or useage of the truck as long as the terms of the lease are current. The lessee is required to have and has the proper public utilities commission required insurance coverage and has named the leasing company as additional insured and loss payable on the lessee's insurance policy.


Asked on 3/16/01, 8:11 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys

Jeffrey Zinder Zinder & Koch

Re: leasing company liability for lessee acident

Unless there is an agency, employment or other relationship between the parties, the leasing company as the owner of the truck would only face statutory ownership liability of 15,000/30,000/5,000. Talk with your insurance agent about this. Again if there is anything wrong with the truck that caused the accident or there is any other legal theory against the leasing company there may be direct liability.

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Answered on 5/25/01, 11:04 am
Steven Murray Steven W. Murray, APC

Re: leasing company liability for lessee acident

Yes, the lessor IS liable under federal law

if the lessor was/is certificated with what was

the ICC (now the DOT/FHWA). The liability is similar to the non-delegable duty doctrine.

Under state law, in California, the lessor might also be liable under that theory, but perhaps not.

Under both federal and state law, the lessor's insurance coverage is involved. Under federal law, it is primary for the lessee's accident since the lessor is at fault; under state law, it could be excess insurance depending on whether there is a tractor/trailer, or just a tractor, or what the rig is composed of.

Make sure you have your own attorney advise you so that the lessor's insurance is NOT used up for the lessee's benefit - it should be required to protect the lessor first. Your lawyer should really have a knowledge of transportation insurance law. It is very complex because it involves the interrelationship with federal and state regulation of transportation and insurance, with the states generally having the right to legislate exclusively about insurance. This transportation area is one of the exceptions to that rule, implicating McCarran-Ferguson.

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Answered on 5/25/01, 1:40 pm


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