Hoping someone can offer me some helpful advice with the following very stressful situation:
In May of this year my ex partner was using my car to take some items to the tip. He was not a named driver on my policy as he had his own car and very rarely needed to use mine. He told me was covered under his own insurance to drive other cars.
Unbeknown to me, he had a collision with another car while parking. Despite some pretty substantial damage to the other car and some minor damage to mine (I didn't notice it right away, as there were already a couple of small scuffs), he opted not to tell me (turns out he thought he could sort it directly with the chap, so that I wouldn't find out). However, the other driver decided he wanted to sort it via his insurance company, so my ex sheepishly came clean and told me what had happened.
Understandably I was livid (it was yet another in a long line of f*ck ups by him, don't get me started or I'll be here all day) and told him he would never be borrowing my car again or anything of mine as he had proven once and for all that he couldn't be trusted. He had the cheek to tell me I was being unreasonable!
I got straight on the phone to my insurance company and put them in the picture - I didn't stick up for him and was completely honest with them. They told me there was nothing I needed to do, and I was not implicated in any way as he was the driver and he was driving it on his insurance. I was very relived, and relayed this information to him - i.e. that he would have to notify his insurance company and sort it out himself.
In the meantime, he moved out of the house we shared, as this was one of the final last straws in the relationship, combined with the fact that he was becoming increasingly abusive and controlling towards me. I thought I had washed my hands of him and tried to get on with my life.
Not particularly relevant to this, but does help to paint a picture of his character, he then proceeded to harass me for several weeks and after a number of incidents where I feared for my safety, he was eventually charged by the police.
Sadly, a few weeks later he took his own life (not due to the car incident but as a result of long-standing mental illness).
I have tried to have limited involvement in the administration of his personal affairs (we were not married, had no children and had no financial ties), and have left this solely to his family. To be honest, I want nothing to do with him as he made my life hell for so long.
However, this week a letter has arrived at my home address - I didn't see the name it was addressed to so opened it. It is a letter from a solicitor to him, notifying him that his insurance company have not paid their client's claim. They are threatening County Court proceedings as the next step.
What on earth do I do? Of course, I shouldn't have opened the letter, but I didn't do it deliberately, and am sort of glad I did as it was my vehicle involved and I had no idea the matter hadn't been resolved - and I didn't know he was using my home address still. If he is deceased, obviously he can't be taken to court, but can they come after me, if I was not at fault as I was not driving the car?
He has left me with countless huge debts for household bills he said he'd paid before he left but I have now discovered he hadn't so I believe I am liable. I cannot believe there is yet more money owing, through no fault of my own. I just want to rebuild my life but I keep uncovering more and more cock ups that he's made.
Can anyone advise how I should proceed with this?