Auto Insurance Claims: Lawsuit, fender bender, vehicle owner

Question
My boyfriend backed into a lady in a parking lot 3 years ago. He was driving his cousin's car, with whom he was with. My boyfriend did not have auto insurance bc he did not have a car(does have valid license) but the cousin had both liability and collision on the car. The police were called but my boyfriend's cousin had to leave before they arrived(took more than an hour). They both exchanged their info. with the other party. By the way it only left a dent(smaller than a football) and scratched the paint a little. My boyfriend nor his cousin never heard from them. Now 3 years later BOTH of them are being sued. No one was hurt in the fender bender, he wasn't even going 5 mph. My question is shouldn't the cousin's insurance have paid for the repair? And can they still sue 3 years later in the state of NC?
Thanks,
Kathy

Answer
I do not know what the statute of limitations is in NC but in GA, it is 4 years on property damage.

The insurance will pay for it assuming that the claim was reported in a timely manner and the insurer was given their legal right to investigate and settle the claim.  The vehicle owner bears the most responsibility, including the reporting of the claim.   If he failed to do so, then the insurance company can deny coverage.