Escalated Fix-It Ticket

[zeytoun]

What is the name of your state? California

Last May, my girlfriend was using her car to move to a new apartment, and was pulled over and given a $10 fix-it ticket to change the address on her license.

The next day she went to the DMV and changed her address, and had the ticket signed off.

The day after that, she went to the court to pay her ticket. They said that it was not in their records yet, and refused to accept the ticket or payment.

She never received a notice to appear through the mail (probably because of address issues), so she forgot about it. When she got a letter from the DMV, she assumed it was her registration renewal and DIDN'T OPEN IT. She then received a letter from the court, with a fine of about $700 for not appearing. She freaked, opened her DMV letter, and found out that she has been driving for several months on a suspended license.

When I heard about this I was very upset, and I understand how serious this is, and how this should have been avoided. But what exactly should she do now?

[sukharev]

You need to call the court, as well as DMV. They would tell you how to fix it (most likely pay the fines, and move on). You can ask if there is a way to reduce the fines, or appeal them, but likely there is none.

[patstew]

Originally Posted by sukharev

You need to call the court, as well as DMV. They would tell you how to fix it (most likely pay the fines, and move on). You can ask if there is a way to reduce the fines, or appeal them, but likely there is none.

There's a valuable lesson to be learned from this case: when you get a letter from a legal entity, OPEN YOUR DAMN MAIL!

[gawm]

Originally Posted by patstew

There's a valuable lesson to be learned from this case: when you get a letter from a legal entity, OPEN YOUR DAMN MAIL!

But those kind of letters are sooo scary to open!