Am I legally responsible to pay the debt even though I was under age?
Full Question:
Answer:
Sometimes, a contract with a minor may not be fully enforced, meaning, the adult who made the contract with the minor may not be able to force the minor to do all that the minor promised, or the adult may not be able to make the minor pay all the money that the adult would otherwise be entitled to if the contract had been made with an adult.
A person who was under eighteen when he/she made the contract may not undo the contract if he/she has already ratified it after he/she reached eighteen. A person ratifies a contract when he/she acts in a way that shows that he/she wants to keep the contract.(73)
The minor may disavow the contract within a reasonable time after turning 18. Simply waiting to disavow a contract is not enough by itself to show that the defendant ratified the contract. Plaintiff has the burden to show that the defendant ratified the contract.
The defendant has the burden to show that when defendant made the contract, defendant was under the age of eighteen. If the defendant gives back any benefits defendant received, then defendant may undo the contract, even though defendant misrepresented defendant’s age when he or she made the contract.
