Can you be liable for your parent's (alive) debt?

by lil
(az)

I checked my credit report today and I noticed that I had a dental debt that went to collections. The debt was for my braces when I was 16. Is this legal for collections to make me pay instead of my parents? I will not be able to go to graduate school because of this on my record. It's my parents who where supposed to pay, as I was a minor at the time and unable to co-sign anyway. Please help!

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Aug 23, 2012
 Can you be liable for your parent's (alive) debt?
by: DebtCollection Answers.com

You are correct. Because you were a minor (and in most states you are a minor until age 18 although in some states not until 21), when you had the dental work done, you are not responsible for paying the bill related to your braces; your parents are.

I would contact the collection agency right away and inform them by phone and then by letter that you are not the responsible party and explain why. Send your letter certified mail, return receipt. In your letter, you should also request that they remove all information related to the debt from your credit reports. Send the letter certified mail with a return receipt requested.

I also recommend that you contact the credit reporting agency (CRA) directly to dispute the information in your credit report and ask to have it deleted. You can do that online at the CRA's website.

If you do not get satisfaction by doing what I am suggesting, I recommend that you schedule a FREE consultation with a consumer law attorney and find out what the attorney thinks you should do next. Good luck!

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