Couple fined $350 for car they sold 5 years ago
By Kurtis Ming
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LINCOLN (KOVR) — A Lincoln couple says Sacramento County just fined them for a car they sold five years ago.
The $350.08 fine for vehicle abandonment threatened to garnish Tina Greenwood’s husband’s wages or levy his bank account if they don’t pay.
“We’re not going to pay $350 for something we’re not responsible for,” Greenwood said.
The letter the Greenwoods received stated “The DMV identified you as the registered owner,” but the DMV told us that isn’t current information.
We reached out to the county asking what records they used. They didn’t directly answer, but said, “After further research and communication with DMV, we have been unable to determine who was the registered owner of the vehicle at the time of the violation. Therefore, we will be closing the file.”
We previously exposed how some agencies accessing DMV records sometimes only pull up partial records, leading to former owners getting hit with fines and penalties.
It’s unclear if that’s what happened here, but owners should always remember to file a release of liability when selling a car.
The DMV says you remain the owner of record until the new owner registers it.
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