The question is simple, but the situation is anything but. The bare bones info: my friend's son is a new driver who just had a minor, but scary, brush with the law. There is an extra car in this family, as my friend's husband kept his existing car when he purchased a newer one.
Hoping to get her son's attention, my friend would like to store his somewhat sporty car at another location, while her son would drive her own 15 year-old car, and she would use her husband's older car. This way the stored car would be an incentive toward some improvement and responsible behavior on her son's part, before it would be his to use again.
My friend's husband is refusing to "allow" her to use the car, as his way of forcing his own idea that the sporty car should be sold as a punishment. Does my friend have a right to the car as marital property, even though it's in the husband's name only?
They've been married 25yrs, so everything mentioned here has been acquired during the marriage, and, if it matters, she is the primary earner, but did not pay for the car.
I'm not intending this as a discussion of parenting, and no one is talking divorce or any other legal action, I would simply like to know whether the car is jointly owned (and hers to use) under NJ law, even though his name is the only one on the title.
I hope this is an ok question for this site. Thanks much!