There is an old legal maxim that covers this situation:
The court looks at the who did all the restoring and says *It sucks to be
you.*
Even though the current possessor (not owner, this person has a defective
title and therefore is not the owner) might have bought it in good faith,
the title was a fraud. The only legal title belongs to either the original
owner or if the insurance company paid out, the insurance company.
Since the current possessor never held good title to the car, any work or
money he may have put in money out of his pocket.
Back in the day a buddy of mine bought a 3000 from a used car lot. About
two weeks late the cops showed up and told him it was a stolen car. No he
says, look I have paperwork from the used car lot, and DMV paperwork.
No the cops replied, we know you didn't steal it, the guy that sold it to
the car lot forged some paperwork and he was the guy that stole it.
bottom line, my buddy was out the car, and the 4 new tires he put on it.
Rick
On Fri, May 14, 2010 at 11:00 PM, Jonas Payne <jpayne@thorcon.net> wrote:
> Friends - this is where it gets sticky -
>
> What if the "stolen car" was on blocks in the front yard with a goat and a
> dog
> tied to it with a tree growing out of the hood.
>
> Owners of the "stolen car" may have invested a fortune restoring the car
> post
> theft.
>
> Would they be obligated to return a restored car to the owner and take it
> up
> with their insurance company?
>
> 17 years is a long time. What is the statute of limitations on such a
> thing.
>
>
>
> Jonas Payne
> Director of Preconstruction
> Thor Construction
> PH: (702) 269-2007
> Fax: (702) 269-7095
> Cell: (702) 358-5084
>
>
>
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