California Court of Appeal

Lack of knowledge by a vehicle's registered owner that the driver to whom he loaned his car was not validly licensed constitutes a mitigating circumstance under Vehicle Code section 14602.6(b), warranting release of the vehicle to the registered owner before expiration of the 30-day storage period set forth in the statute; this mitigating circumstance exception is not limited to situations where the owner has made a reasonable inquiry as to the licensed status of the driver before lending the vehicle.

Appellate Information

• Decided 04/09/2002
• Published 04/09/2002

Judges

• KLINE, P.J.

Court

• California Court of Appeal

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Rene Auguste Chouteau and Brien J. Farrell, City Attorneys, Matthew J. LeBlanc, Assistant City Attorney, City of Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa, CA, Attorneys for Plaintiff.


• For Appellees:
  
•  Mark T. Clausen, Windsor, CA, Attorneys for Defendant.