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Suspended Liscence/Unpaid traffic ticket

Asked over 2 years ago - Boston, MA

I was recently in a car accident which was deemed not my fault. I was issued a citation and summons to district court for driving with a suspended liscence. The liscence was suspended because I had a traffic ticket for driving my car unregistered and with a failed inspection sticker. I didn't pay the ticket because I didn't have the $$ and I called the RMV and was told they didn't have payment plans. Since then I have had the car registered, paid for the ticket and a reinstatement fee and my liscence is valid. The car was totaled and is off the road so the inspection sticker isn't an issue anymore. So should I call the court and tell them all this and see if I can avoid court? What should I expect, I've never been to court, never been charged with anything except tickets.

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Attorney answers (3)

Dominic L. Pang

Reputation Level 15

Answered over 2 years ago. Criminal Defense Attorney in Cohasset, MA.

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Calling the court won't get you out of a court date. Bring proof that your registration is current and your license has been reinstated. If you've paid off the old ticket, straightened out the registration and have gotten your license reinstated, you can reasonably expect that the assistant district attorney handling the case the day you appear in court will be willing to dismiss the operating after suspension charge on court costs.

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Phil A. Taylor

Reputation Level 14

Answered over 2 years ago. Family Law Attorney in Stoneham, MA.

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You should consult with an attorney, as driving after suspension is a criminal violation and the hearing is likely to appear for your arraignment. You have a short time to request a clerk's hearing to try and stop criminal charges from being filed, or resolve this pre-arraignment. Once you are arraigned, the charges will be on your record.

You need to appear at the court at the date and time stated, and should consider speaking to an attorney about resolving this as early as possible. Feel free to contact me to schedule an initial no cost meeting.

DISCLAIMER: This answer is provided in response to a "hypothetical" question and provided for general, informational purposes and does not create an attorney/client relationship. The information presented is not legal advice and may change based additional information and research. It is recommended that you speak to an attorney to discuss your specific legal issues.

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Kelly A. Broadbent

Reputation Level 11

Answered over 2 years ago. Speeding / Traffic Ticket Lawyer in Holden, MA.

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Typically in Massachusetts, driving on a suspended license is a criminal citation and cannot be fixed by paying a fine without appearing in court. It is very important to go to the court date, and bring all the proof that everything was resolved, especially your license.

With this citation, I am unclear whether you were cited again for unregistered/no inspection sticker, or if it was just the original unpaid ticket that was triggering the suspension. If there are additional charges on the summons for these, you should bring proof that you no longer have possession of the vehicle in question.

With regard to the old civil tickets (the inspection sticker and the unregistered), since you paid the ticket, there is no reason to go to court for these.

If you have any questions or are looking for representation, please feel free to contact me directly to further discuss this matter.

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