Cases | In re Lorne S., 720 A.2d 920 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. 1998) | 2018
The juvenile defendant was ordered to pay $100 restitution to his mother, the victim, after stealing her car and getting into an accident. The victim’s insurance covered the damage, but she had to pay a $100 deductible. The defendant filed exceptions to the restitution order, arguing that restitution was inappropriate because at the time of the crime, he was fourteen and had no assets. The trial court rejected both arguments and found nothing in the juvenile restitution statute to bar the defendant’s mother from seeking restitution because she was the juvenile’s parent. On appeal, the defendant argued that because his mother was responsible for his actions, she should not be permitted to obtain restitution, and that the court did not properly consider the defendant’s age and circumstances when setting the amount of restitution. The intermediate court held that when a child’s delinquent act has caused a loss to his parent, that child may be required to pay his parent restitution. The court then held that the juvenile court had properly considered the defendant’s age and circumstances. The judgment was affirmed.