I never received a verdict when I contested my ticket by mail. How do I fight late fees?

I never received a verdict when I contested my traffic ticket mail trial. How do I fight late fees?

by Phil Hache

Question: I had a speeding ticket that I got a while back on the 101 freeway.  I didn’t hire a traffic attorney to fight the speeding ticket, but wanted to fight it so I just mailed in a letter to fight my ticket.  I then got busy with work and life and  forgot about it.  I never received a verdict when I contested my traffic ticket by mail.  Next thing I know it turns out that I am being charged late fees because I never paid for my ticket. I am guessing that also means that my letter did not win How do I fight late fees?  And can I still fight the ticket in court?  Can a traffic attorney fight my ticket for me now even though I fought it myself at first?

Answer:  To fight your late fees and the underlying speeding ticket, either go to Court, or hire a traffic attorney to go to court for you to recall the case.  To do so, most courts require that you be there first thing in the morning.  If you try to handle it yourself, the court may have you post bail if you did not post bail (ie. the ticket amount) at the time you contested your traffic ticket by mail.  It does not sound like you posted bail when you fought the ticket by yourself through the mail, which is why the late fees are an issue now.

It is still possible to fight your case in court.  And yes, a traffic ticket attorney can take over the case for you at this point even though you contested the ticket by mail initially without an attorney.

Feel free to contact me at (818) 336-1384 to discuss your situation further.  I regularly fight speeding tickets and get dismissals.

Sincerely,

Phil Hache
 DUI, Criminal Defense, And Traffic Ticket Attorney