jerry dycus wrote: > > As are many other lesees, he's > > contemplating all the >> possible options for keeping (like having some >> 'steal' it, etc.)... > There is a way to do this legally. When the lease >is up just say you lost it or it disappeared one day >and you don't know where it is. > The only thing they can do is make you pay the >leftover value as stated in the lease for a >stolen-wrecked EV. Once they take the payment the EV-1 >is yours. > It's only civil so you can't go to jail. And if >they are going to crush them, how much can they say >they are worth after the lease.
This is just plain wrong. There are at least three legal criminal theories under which you would be liable if you tried this: 1. fraud; 2. embezzlement; and 3. false pretenses. That's just off the top of my head, and assuming you have the text of the lease correct. Some jurisdictions have made a special offense describing precisely the crime you describe, called "failure to return a rental vehicle" (which applies to leases). If you do any of this with someone else's connivance, throw in conspiracy. You are obviously civilly liable, regardless of and in addition to any criminal offense. GM's acceptance of the payment changes your civil and criminal liability not one jot. > I'm not a lawyer so check with yours, Best advice of the post. As stupid and anti-consumer as GM's policy is, there is simply no way to legally keep the car at or before the expiration of the lease unless you enter into a new contract with GM. -- -Adam Kuehn
