Parental Liability

Responsibility of parents for tortious acts committed by their minor children. While at common law, parents did not have such liabilities, the fact that juvenile misbehavior resulted in uncompensated victims led many states to enact statutes imposing liability on parents for the tort of their minor child. These statutes vary widely, but usually limit the parents’ liability to a small dollar amount.
Prosser & Keeton on Torts 913–14 (5th ed. 1984).