Fire Liability: Legal Advice

Questioner

I was assaulted by an acquaintance, and I reported it to the police. We believe that person then set the fire in the barn/hunting cabin across the street, which isn't mine. Now they want to hold me liable for the damage, since they were my guests and they had also stayed with us for several weeks before this happened. However, I haven't been able to report arson. According to the police, this is because the scooter used to start the fire wasn't mine, but borrowed. We assume that the person who assaulted me also started the fire, but there's no direct evidence of this. Can they still recover the damages from me?

Questioner

I don't see enough evidence in your story to hold you liable for the arson. Even if it could be proven that the person you're referring to started the fire, you are still not to blame based on the facts you've described. NB: You can always hold someone else accountable for something, but whether that will be successful is another matter. It requires more than vague indications.