Jackson v. Houchin
Arkansas Court of Appeals
144 S.W.3d 764 (2004)
- Written by Rich Walter, JD
Facts
Under § 27-16-702 of the Arkansas statutes, a minor such as Charles Jackson (defendant) needed parental consent to obtain a driver’s license. Charles’s mother was living and had custody of Charles, so § 27-16-702 authorized the mother to indicate her consent by cosigning Charles’s license application. Instead of seeking his mother’s consent, Charles got his older cousin, Freddie Jackson (defendant), to place Freddie’s own unauthorized cosignature on the application. The statute provided that anyone whose cosignature appeared on the application—whether the signature was authorized or not—would incur imputed joint and several liability should the minor’s bad driving ever result in an accident. After Charles received his license, he negligently crashed into a vehicle being driven by David Houchin (plaintiff), who successfully sued both Charles and Freddie for damages. Freddie appealed to the Arkansas Court of Appeals, citing two Arkansas cases that involved parental consent and liability for a minor’s driving.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Gladwin, J.)
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