Traffic violation procedures

urbanraven16 said:If they filed an objection specifically targeting just the penalty itself, then sure, that would head straight to the Verizon appellate level without needing to go through the first instance trial...

Honestly, I have no clue here...
In my appeal, I basically argued that the penalty was way too harsh (or something along those lines).
I haven't seen a single court date—not at the local level or at Verizon—because I never got any notices. They only sent stuff through the mail. The cops didn't even bother showing up at my house.
Is there some kind of criteria for this? Like, do "heavier" cases get fast-tracked?
By heavier, I mean more alcohol involved, actual crashes, or people with a long criminal record?
In my case, it was just 0.12% BAC, and I’ve never even had a ticket before...

The whole legal system is a complete mystery to me. Maybe these questions sound stupid, but...

rowdycanyon84 said:Honestly, I have no clue here...
In my appeal, I basically argued that the penalty was way too harsh (or something along those lines).
I haven't seen a single court date—not at the local level or at Verizon—because I never got any notices. They only sent stuff through the mail. The cops didn't even bother showing up at my house.
Is there some kind of criteria for this? Like, do "heavier" cases get fast-tracked?
By heavier, I mean more alcohol involved, actual crashes, or people with a long criminal record?
In my case, it was just 0.12% BAC, and I’ve never even had a ticket before...

The whole legal system is a complete mystery to me. Maybe these questions sound stupid, but...

The whole thing should have wrapped up at the appellate level without ever hitting a lower court or a formal hearing.

It’s entirely possible that what you thought was just some summons you missed was actually a binding ruling from the appellate court regarding your objection...

Basically, if some officer at the precinct messed up and sent the case to the Municipal Court by mistake, then the statute of limitations has already run out—since you mentioned this all went down back in September 2005. But if they didn't screw up and sent it straight to the appellate level, playing hide-and-seek with the mail isn't going to get you anywhere...

Next time, just take the papers so you can finally move on with your life...

thanks.

I.

😎 Hey everyone, I could really use some help here...

So, I got hit with a $667 ticket today along with $110 in court fees. I actually filed an appeal against the citation, but somehow I ended up getting slapped with a bill for $2,110. I’m honestly panicking—I have no way to pay this much. I'm a full-time student and my bank account is basically non-existent right now. I really don't see a way out of this.

The whole thing started because a speed camera caught me, and they demanded I identify who was behind the wheel—me or my older brother. In my appeal, I basically told them they'd have to decide for themselves since I didn't have any photos to prove who it was...

If anyone has dealt with something like this before or knows what I should do, please reach out or shoot me a DM...

Thanks in advance.

About a month ago, I got pulled over by the police, blew a 0.57—well, actually 0.47—and just signed everything they put in front of me while waiting for the fine to arrive $167.

Fast forward to today, and I’ve received a citation for the blood alcohol level $167 along with a charge for not wearing my seatbelt $167.

The strange thing is, when the officer stopped me, he didn't mention anything about a seatbelt, there wasn't a single word about it in the report, and I certainly don't recall signing anything regarding a belt violation. (I mean, I probably just scrawled a few signatures because the officer was pointing at lines saying, "sign here, then here, and here...") Honestly, I can't even be certain if I remember being buckled up or not at that moment.
All he gave me right then was the breathalyzer report and a notice stating I could pick up my driver's license the following day.
Was he actually obligated to hand me some kind of paperwork specifically addressing the seatbelt issue?

I'm currently weighing whether I should just skip the payment and file an appeal instead, where I could tell the Municipal Court of Los Angeles that I was definitely buckled in and have absolutely no idea why this seatbelt fine is being tacked on.

@ marijan24
Appeal for a traffic violation.
Alright folks, I need some help here...

So, I got slapped with a fine today. $667 The court fees were supposed to be $110—but after I filed my appeal for this citation, they hit me with a whopping $2,110. Seriously? I’m a full-time student and there is absolutely no way I can swing that kind of cash right now. Does anyone have any advice on what I should do?

So, I got caught by a speed camera, and now they’re demanding I identify who was behind the wheel—me or my old man. In my appeal, I basically told them to just pick one themselves since I don't have any photos to prove anything... good luck with that!

If anyone out there actually knows how to handle stuff like this, please hit me up via DM—I really need some help here.

Thanks in advance.

And now you’ve got a yellow card on top of everything else—all because you couldn't follow the damn PDF guidelines. ☕
You think you're somehow exempt from the rules? Please.
Plus, you clearly aren't looking at the VIOLATIONS thread—honestly, I seriously doubt you even noticed it since it was right there at the top when you opened your topic—you didn't even have to scroll. 🙄
Moving this over to where it actually belongs.

Anonymous said:😎 Hey everyone, I could really use some help here...

So, I got hit with a $667 ticket today along with $110 in court fees. I actually filed an appeal against the citation, but somehow I ended up getting slapped with a bill for $2,110. I’m honestly panicking—I have no way to pay this much. I'm a full-time student and my bank account is basically non-existent right now. I really don't see a way out of this.

The whole thing started because a speed camera caught me, and they demanded I identify who was behind the wheel—me or my older brother. In my appeal, I basically told them they'd have to decide for themselves since I didn't have any photos to prove who it was...

If anyone has dealt with something like this before or knows what I should do, please reach out or shoot me a DM...

Thanks in advance.

Honestly, instead of acting like a genius, maybe you should just say thanks to the guy who actually gave you the advice to handle it that way in the first place...

Just file an appeal and go beg the judge at the Municipal Court to bring that fine down to something halfway reasonable, especially if the penalty for the actual speeding violation is significantly lower than the massive fine for failing to identify the driver (which, let’s be real, it probably is)

Hey everyone, I could really use some perspective here.
So, back in May around 2:30 in the morning, I got caught up in a bit of a mess over at Jeffersonian Square—your classic "drunk guy looking for trouble" scenario. I was just waiting for the bus with my girlfriend when this guy, clearly wasted, starts muttering nonsense under his breath at me. I did the smart thing and tried to ignore him, acting like I wasn't even paying attention, but he decided to play the tough guy and clocked me right in the head. Out of nowhere, a police officer appears, steps in to separate us, and starts asking for IDs and whatnot. Honestly, I didn't care at the time; I had no intention of suing the guy or making a whole scene out of it. But then today comes the surprise: a mail carrier hands me a notice from the Municipal Court of Los Angeles. It turns out I’ve been issued a citation claiming we were both responsible for disturbing the peace, with each $133 fine being set at $50 plus court costs. The reasoning basically states that the legal proceedings were initiated by a law enforcement officer based on direct observation, blah, blah, blah.
Now, what I’m wondering is whether I should just bite the bullet and pay these $183 fines (while secretly wishing a semi-truck would run him over) or if I should actually file an appeal. I’d much rather contest it, because there's nothing funny about paying a penalty for being the victim of an unprovoked attack, and as a student, I'm already strapped for cash. If I go the appeal route, is there a chance it ends up costing me even more than these $167?

Look, you can fight it—show up to the hearing when they call you, lay it all out for the judge, and there’s a chance you walk away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist 😁
but then again, there's also the chance they just hit you with an extra $33 in court costs 😳

Good day. Just another student adding to the list of public disturbance calls. 😁

So, I received a letter from the Municipal Court of Los Angeles stating I need to show up for a preliminary hearing regarding a disturbing the peace charge. The letter also mentions I’m required to notify the Court of any change of address; otherwise, I could face a fine of $1.75. 😕

To be specific, it's about falling asleep in a park while under the influence. Apparently, I "attracted the attention of passersby and residents of nearby buildings," who then called 911, leading to my transport to a detox center. 😳

I have a few questions:
1. A preliminary hearing? 😲 Does that mean there will be more people involved? It doesn't seem like the kind of minor offense where they couldn't just set a fine right at the start, right?
2. What are the standard fines for disturbing the peace—how much am I looking at paying? I've never had legal trouble before. This is my first time, and since I'm a student, I don't have a steady income. Could that help soften the blow? I'm hoping it isn't worse than what happened to ruggedbadger81, but I don't get why I was summoned to a hearing while he just got a fine. I saw online that the fine for this specific violation is between $50 and $200, but since currency values shift over time, I'm not entirely sure if those numbers are still current.
3. Regarding the part about notifying the Court of an address change. 😕 What does that actually entail? Am I strictly required to tell them, and what kind of changes count? If I'm staying put and don't plan on moving, do I still need to call them? I assume not, but I figured I'd ask just to avoid a $750 fine due to ignorance.

Thanks in advance for the help. Look, I know nothing about the law, so some of these might sound silly, but I'm following the rule: "better safe than sorry." 😁

1. There won't be any more continuances if you just go ahead and plead guilty...
2. That range hasn't actually expanded; it’s still stuck between $50 and $200. Besides, under the rules of procedure, the court still has the wiggle room to drop below $50 or even just give you a formal warning instead of a fine altogether...
3. As for changing your address, you only need to notify the court if you're moving away from the place where they actually send your paperwork, otherwise there's really no need to bother them...

Thanks. 🙏 👍

I’m heading to the Voloder Fall Festival this Sunday—planning to just park along the curb—and I'm worried I'll come back to some $75 ticket under Article 82, Section 3 (parking at the intersection of St. Anthony Square and St. Barbara Street). From what I could see where I parked, it isn't even an intersection—anyone who actually knows Voloder knows it's just the stretch between the church and the little bridge toward Topeka on the right side of the road. What’s the move here? Should I contest it based on the fact that they got the facts wrong? Besides, the notice itself lacks a stamp, a signature, or any kind of official header—it's just a slip of paper with a payment voucher stapled to the back. Theoretically, anyone could shove a piece of paper like that under a wiper... I guess. Any advice?

Hey everyone! I was wondering if anyone could walk me through what actually needs to happen for a judge to grant a suspended driver's license? Like, what are the specific criteria they look for? Also, if you know a killer traffic attorney who really knows their way around the Municipal Court, please send them my way! Thanks a ton! 👍

The whole system here feels pretty useless—you’re basically flagged as guilty from the jump. The judge is just going to nitpick every little detail instead of actually listening to you. Everything you say gets recorded, but there’s zero real understanding of how things actually work on our roads. I haven't personally had to deal with this yet, but I've heard enough to know that lawyers around here are basically magicians when it comes to the legal system. They probably just have louder voices or some weird way of twisting words. I don't have a definitive answer... but from now on, I'm just hitting "Yes" on everything so I can stay out of their hair.

northernsurfer64 said:I’m heading to the Voloder Fall Festival this Sunday—planning to just park along the curb—and I'm worried I'll come back to some $75 ticket under Article 82, Section 3 (parking at the intersection of St. Anthony Square and St. Barbara Street). From what I could see where I parked, it isn't even an intersection—anyone who actually knows Voloder knows it's just the stretch between the church and the little bridge toward Topeka on the right side of the road. What’s the move here? Should I contest it based on the fact that they got the facts wrong? Besides, the notice itself lacks a stamp, a signature, or any kind of official header—it's just a slip of paper with a payment voucher stapled to the back. Theoretically, anyone could shove a piece of paper like that under a wiper... I guess. Any advice?

From what I've seen—and I think most people on this forum would agree—there's a thread at the very top titled "GUIDELINES: Must read before posting."

And right next to your topic, there's the TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS thread.

Believe it or not, even after 388 posts on this board, all the rules still apply to you, too. 🙂
And this thread needs to be moved to where it actually belongs.

Is that scooter even yours?
😁

Look, everything you need is already laid out right here—just follow the steps and see what happens once you actually pull the trigger 🙂

It’s actually not even my scooter, I inherited it from my old man, haha.
I am a little worried, though—if I get summoned to traffic court, what happens if I can't make it because of my lecture schedule? Any idea what they might do to me?

Lisa Williams47, the whole point of setting up this thread isn't just to have a single spot where all these traffic violation questions live, it's more about making sure people asking the questions can actually find quick answers to what they need without having to dig through the same old advice and repetitive comments that pop up on every other page...

So, I’ve run into a bit of a situation—well, more like a little headache, really... I’m sure someone else here has dealt with something similar, but I’d love to get your take on this.
Basically, I’ve managed to find myself in a pretty ridiculous spot: I got slapped with a fine for riding public transit without a fare in the amount of $33, and—for reasons I won't even bother explaining because they're just "blah blah blah"—I didn't pay it right away. Time passed, the notices kept piling up, and now, finally, I've received an official notice from the municipal court😁

Anyway, I'm looking at a fine of $33 from the $33 court (haha!) and look, I *could* just pay it, obviously, but honestly? I don't want to—it's a matter of principle at this point. And according to this notice I got...

So, here are my three options: pay the fine, perform community service within three days, or serve three days in jail, hahahahaha (I mean, seriously, what?!)

I didn't file any appeals or anything, so now I've only got three days to show up at the courthouse, so yeah...🤣
Sorry if this sounds a bit scattered, I know I'm rambling