One of the single biggest fears a parent shoulders is the fear that their child will make a bad decision and gravely injure him or herself or another. When that unfortunate event occurs, the courts may be called upon to determine whether the parents should be required to share the blame for their child’s error in judgment and respond to a damage claim.

Take comfort in the knowledge that generally a parent is not responsible for the tortious conduct of their child. As is the case with everything in the law, however, exceptions abound. Parents are not responsible for the torts of their adult children but may be responsible for the torts of their minor chil- dren under certain circumstances.