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Asked 3 months ago - Los Angeles, CA
FlagI have a court appearance tomorrow at 8:00 am but I have to go to work at that time can I call before and ask If I can show up at another time... What happens I I show up late?
I'm not aware of any court that will allow you to put work ahead of them. Don't disrespect the court by telling them that work is more important than them.
Some courts will allow you to request for an extension online. Check out your ticket and see if you are eligible to go online to request such an extension.
If you fail to appear for a traffic ticket you will be cited and you could possibly be arrested if you have contact with law enforcement.
Many courts allow you to reschedule your appearance, but at this point this would be too late.
For at traffic ticket I would not simply pay the ticket. Many courts will offer to "reduce" your fine if you plead guilty to the ticket. This is a bad idea in most cases as it will result in a significant increase in the price of your car insurance. I recommend that you appear at the court, plead not guilty, set a trial date as far away as possible and contact a qualified attorney to represent you.
When you compare an attorney fee to the price of the fine, you will realize that the fine is less. However, before you go this route consider that the loss of your good driver discount (mandatory in CA for drivers with three years of clean driving history - I believe it's 10% of your premium) can amount to thousands of dollars over three years.
Most traffic lawyers can obtain a settlement of your case for a small fine on a non-point violation which will allow you to preserve your good driver discount. Also, if you haven't used it in the past 18 months, you should qualify for traffic school which could result in your charges being dismissed with no conviction and no point on your license.
In a case where the appearance is for an infraction speeding ticket in traffic court, one should take a look at the ticket to see if there is a phone number to call to reschedule. The problem is that many traffic courts are overwhelmed with calls and people showing up that you may not be able to get through to request a continuance. If the case is called and you are not there on time, then there is a good chance that it will result in a failure to appear, which alone will have consequences on driving privileges in California. A failure to appear will result in a suspension of driving privileges so you should make it to court....otherwise, you may be in a situation where you won't be able to lawfully drive, additional charges for failure to appear, more fines, and an inability to drive to work until you clear up the ticket, fines, and failure to appear. Show up and take care of the ticket whether you challenge it or not because later, it will take a lot more time...be on time or close to it!
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