Can a Parent Be Held Liable for the Negligent Acts of Their Minor Child in Florida?

So the question for today is, can a parent be held liable for the negligent acts of their minor child causing injury to another person? So this is a quick analysis under Florida law. So believe it or not, the general rule in Florida is that a parent cannot be held liable for the negligent acts of their minor causing injury to another person. But remember, almost always, there are exceptions to the general rules of law. In Florida there are four exceptions to the general rule that parents cannot be held liable for the negligent acts of their minor kids. The first exception is if a parent entrusts their child with an instrumentality, that because of their age or experience can pose a danger to another person. So if a parent let an eight year old drive a golf cart resulting in injury to another person, the parent may be held liable for the child’s negligence.

The next exception is that the child is negligent while acting as a servant or agent of the parent. So maybe a 16 year old is driving out to pick up groceries for the parent and then causes an accident, the parent might be held liable. The third exception is if the parent consents to the child’s wrongdoing. And the fourth exception is when a parent fails to exercise parental control knowing that the child’s conduct is likely going to cause injury to a third person. And in Florida, parents have been held liable multiple times for failing to secure a firearm from their minor child resulting in injury to a third person.