{ "id": "prop_us_mv_graves_rental_owner", "version": 2, "jurisdiction": "us", "domain": "torts.motor_vehicle", "title": "Rental and leasing companies are not liable merely as owners (Graves Amendment)", "valid_from": "2005-08-10", "valid_to": null, "temporal_notes": [], "topics": [ "rental_vehicle", "owner_liability" ], "status": "VERIFIED", "verification": { "verified_on": "2026-09-30", "methods": [ "Statement drafted by the editor to restate only what the quoted passages say; each passage was checked against its source as recorded on the linked authority or case.", "Checked that every authority and case linked below says what the relationship note claims." ], "human_review_status": "reviewed", "reviewer": null }, "revisions": [ { "version": 2, "date": "2026-10-25", "summary": "Reviewed for source and accuracy." } ], "statement": "Under federal law, a business that rents or leases motor vehicles is not liable under any State's law, merely because it owns the vehicle, for harm arising from its use during the rental or lease, as long as the business itself was not negligent and committed no crime. This applies to actions commenced on or after August 10, 2005, and New York courts apply it in place of owner liability under VTL § 388.", "scope_notes": [ "The date that matters is when the lawsuit was commenced, not the accident date. Read as_of as the date the lawsuit was commenced.", "State financial-responsibility and insurance requirements are preserved by § 30106(b)." ], "passages": [ { "source": "src_uscode_49_30106", "locator": "49 USC § 30106(a)", "text": "An owner of a motor vehicle that rents or leases the vehicle to a person (or an affiliate of the owner) shall not be liable under the law of any State or political subdivision thereof, by reason of being the owner of the vehicle (or an affiliate of the owner), for harm to persons or property that results or arises out of the use, operation, or possession of the vehicle during the period of the rental or lease, if- (1) the owner (or an affiliate of the owner) is engaged in the trade or business of renting or leasing motor vehicles; and (2) there is no negligence or criminal wrongdoing on the part of the owner (or an affiliate of the owner)." }, { "source": "src_uscode_49_30106", "locator": "49 USC § 30106(c)", "text": "Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this section shall apply with respect to any action commenced on or after the date of enactment of this section without regard to whether the harm that is the subject of the action, or the conduct that caused the harm, occurred before such date of enactment." }, { "source": "src_courtlistener_graham_v_dunkley", "locator": "50 AD3d at 58", "text": "The section applies to all actions commenced on or after August 10, 2005 ... and has been enforced as preempting the vicarious liability imposed on commercial lessors by Vehicle and Traffic Law § 388" } ], "type": "proposition", "source_ids": [], "relationship_ids": [ "rel_graves_limits_owner_liability" ], "url": "https://agents.newyorkeverydaylawreference.com/proposition/prop_us_mv_graves_rental_owner", "cite_as": { "id": "prop_us_mv_graves_rental_owner", "type": "proposition", "version": 2, "url": "https://agents.newyorkeverydaylawreference.com/proposition/prop_us_mv_graves_rental_owner", "content_hash": "sha256:aba3d1100da19b0c8433c2e786807cd2db80e41aa887b38ba18a4dfec4f9c1e8", "dataset_version": "2026.10.25" }, "trust": { "authority_level": "primary_legislation", "source_type": "official_code", "primary_source": true, "verified": true, "verification_date": "2026-09-30", "source_freshness": "2026-10-25", "temporal_status": "current", "conflict_status": "none_known", "human_review_status": "reviewed", "provenance_complete": true }, "applicability": { "as_of": "2026-11-04", "applies": true, "temporal_status": "current", "reason": "Applies from 2005-08-10.", "status": "VERIFIED" }, "graph": { "authorities": [ { "id": "auth_us_usc_49_30106", "role": "establishes", "relationship": "rel_usc_30106_establishes_graves" } ], "cases": [ { "id": "case_ny_graham_v_dunkley", "role": "supports", "relationship": "rel_graham_supports_graves" } ], "outgoing": [ { "id": "rel_graves_limits_owner_liability", "relation": "limits", "to": "prop_ny_mv_owner_liability_permissive_use" } ], "incoming": [ { "id": "rel_graham_supports_graves", "relation": "supports", "from": "case_ny_graham_v_dunkley" }, { "id": "rel_usc_30106_establishes_graves", "relation": "establishes", "from": "auth_us_usc_49_30106" } ] }, "provenance": { "passages": [ { "source": "src_uscode_49_30106", "locator": "49 USC § 30106(a)", "sha256": "sha256:57afc805db512e2795a3ec1452e5320b10fe415bc576e59b97f8eeec7fc2ea0d", "source_url": "https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-120/t49/s30106/", "retrieved": "2026-10-25" }, { "source": "src_uscode_49_30106", "locator": "49 USC § 30106(c)", "sha256": "sha256:3f7a4259ab4b4f8cc7e5c125ef9fcde6d00f4f02453960706f1e5d4b097826fc", "source_url": "https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-120/t49/s30106/", "retrieved": "2026-10-25" }, { "source": "src_courtlistener_graham_v_dunkley", "locator": "50 AD3d at 58", "sha256": "sha256:e376602a72d4182bf6f6b6c56359980948792f2b613fbcf562a2ff71a87f823c", "source_url": "https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/5891633/graham-v-dunkley/", "retrieved": "2026-09-30" } ] }, "links": { "html": "https://agents.newyorkeverydaylawreference.com/proposition/prop_us_mv_graves_rental_owner", "json": "https://agents.newyorkeverydaylawreference.com/proposition/prop_us_mv_graves_rental_owner.json", "markdown": "https://agents.newyorkeverydaylawreference.com/proposition/prop_us_mv_graves_rental_owner.md", "current": "https://agents.newyorkeverydaylawreference.com/proposition/prop_us_mv_graves_rental_owner", "versions": [ "https://agents.newyorkeverydaylawreference.com/proposition/prop_us_mv_graves_rental_owner/v/1", "https://agents.newyorkeverydaylawreference.com/proposition/prop_us_mv_graves_rental_owner/v/2" ], "schema": "https://agents.newyorkeverydaylawreference.com/schema/proposition.json" } }