State laws vary so you will need to contact the court listed on your citation for wrongful entrustment and your wife can also discuss her penalty for driving without a license.
From our research it would appear that the terms "wrongful entrustment of a motor vehicle" is mostly used in the state of Ohio so we will give you information on this state's laws and their penalties. If you received your tickets in a different state then again we advise you to contact the court listed on the ticket for information on the penalties. You may also want to get legal counsel for you and your wife to help you when you appear in court on the charges.
In Ohio wrongful entrustment is defined as the offense of permitting a suspended or unlicensed driver, or a driver with no proof of financial responsibility, or a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol to operate a vehicle.
Ohio law notes that if the alleged driver lives in the same household and is related by blood or marriage, then the owner of the vehicle will be charged with Wrongful Entrustment and the vehicle will be immobilized for 30 days on the first conviction; 60 days on the second conviction; and a forfeiture in the third conviction.
[Let CarInsurance.com help you find affordable auto insurance now.] If the alleged driver is not related by blood or marriage and does not live in the same household, the owner will be asked to sign an affidavit stating that he will not allow the offender driver drive his vehicles until the driver becomes valid.
The Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 4511.203 discussed wrongful entrustment of a vehicle. Here it states in section A that no person shall permit a motor vehicle owned by the person or under the person's control to be driven by another if any of the circumstances we listed above are true. So basically if you allow a person that you know should not be driving a car, due to no license, suspended license, etc, to operate your vehicle you can be charged with wrongful entrustment.
Section C of this part of OH law states whoever violates this section is guilty of wrongful entrustment of a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor of the first degree. From the list we have found on one Ohio court's site it states that a conviction of a wrongful entrustment charge can come with the following penalties:
First offense - Incarceration of up to 180 days, fines up to $1000, a mandatory class 7 suspension, immobilization of the vehicle for 30 days and impounded plates for 30 days.
A second offense for wrongful entrustment of a motor vehicle comes again with jail time of up to 180 days, fines of up to $1000, a mandatory class 7 suspension, impounded plates for 30 days but a longer immobilization of the vehicle which is for 60 days.
For a third or subsequent charge of wrongful entrustment imprisonment is again up to 180 days, a fine of up to $1000, a mandatory class 7 suspension of your driver's license and a mandatory forfeiture of the vehicle.
A class 7 suspension is one that the court imposes for a definite period of time which should not exceed one year.
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There have been some legislative bills in Ohio in recent years that are would change some aspects of the charge of wrongful entrustment of a motor vehicle so once again it is important to check with the court or a lawyer to find out for certain what the penalties are in you are charged with this offense in OH or any other state.
As for your wife if she was cited in Ohio for driving without a license this is a 1st degree misdemeanor. A misdemeanor of the first degree in Ohio normally comes with a fine of up to $1,000 and/or not more than 180 days imprisonment. For information on other penalties for driving without a license, wrongful entrustment, etc check with the OH Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), the court listed on the tickets or a lawyer.
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