Garden of vandals.

• Author: Cohen, Randy
• Position: Life's full of questions: he's got answers. THE ETHICIST - Brief article

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Some local kids vandalized our town's organic garden, which is paid for with donations. They were caught and did community service, but there's still several thousand dollars' worth of damage that must be repaired. Do the kids' wealthy parents have an obligation to pay for these repairs? R. S., CALIFORNIA

THEY DO. Parents are legally responsible for much that their minor children do--you might want to consult a lawyer about this.

They also have ethical responsibilities for their children's actions, including the financial, obligation you describe.

Talk to those parents. If that doesn't work, those with legal standing to represent the garden can sue the parents. Civil litigation is one way our society resolves such disagreements.

The community service...