I want to do the right thing.  What happens if I pay old tickets? Why was my license revoked?

 

If you pay off a ticket while you’re in a period of revocation or suspension, that actually may result in additional period of revocation or suspension – Bill Powers 

 

SEE MORE:  NCGS 20-28.1 ADDITIONAL REVOCATION 2017

 

 

 

See More:  Do You Need a Lawyer for Traffic Tickets?

 

 

When it comes to outstanding tickets that have what’s referred to as a Failure to Appear FTA or a “Called and Failed” designation by the Clerk Court, and there is a technical difference, it’s a good idea to talk with a lawyer –  Bill Powers 

Modified Transcript of “What happens if I pay old tickets?” for the Hearing Impaired

Hey, there. This is Bill Powers from Powers Law Firm PA.

I’m answering questions from different public message boards where people are asking general questions and hoping to get some general information.

These aren’t from clients. These are just people going online asking questions about our system in North Carolina.

This is a question that I see or an iteration of a question I see on a surprising regularity, and because of that, and I will preface my comments by saying that each case is different, especially when it involves DMV, but because of that ,it’s important, I think a good one to answer.

It says, “If you get your license suspended and then get it back and then taken away two months later for the same thing, why is that? I had my license taken by an officer. They told me to pay off two outstanding tickets. There were some pretty expensive court fees.” It looks like we’re talking over $1,000 here. Then two weeks later I got the license suspended again, DMV letter.

Okay.  I think I see what’s going on here.

I want to state that there’s not necessarily a nefarious purpose by law enforcement or even the clerk of court.

They often times are just trying to help people out even though they are issuing a citation; but, we see these where a person says, “I called the clerk of court’s office. I knew I had some outstanding citations. I didn’t have the money, or whatever reason, I was being immature. I was young at the time, but I want to take care of these tickets because I want to drive again. I want to have a valid license.”

I was told to pay them off, and I’ll get my license back.

That may be true.

The problem is that if you pay off a ticket while you’re in a period of revocation or suspension, or there’s something else going on in the background, that action of paying off tickets or more than one ticket, actually may result in an additional period of revocation or suspension.

When it comes to outstanding tickets that have what’s referred to as a Failure to Appear FTA or a “Called and Failed” designation by the Clerk Court, and there is a technical difference, it’s a good idea to talk with a lawyer –  Bill Powers 

We offer a free consultation for this very reason, because there are times that we tell clients, “Hey, that’s fine. Pay this one off, you should be okay.”

There are other times where we tell people, “Time out, hold on here. There’s more going on.”

Lawyers are going to want to ask you a bunch of questions about your driving history, or histories, depending on how many states you have been licensed in.

We see those issues as well where people move. Being in Charlotte, it’s not unusual to see people that live in Charlotte, or get tickets in South Carolina, or live in South Carolina, and get tickets in Charlotte, or moving back and forth across the border.

As you can tell, it’s complicated.

What we like to do is talk to you, get your background, maybe pull a certified record, if we can, of your license or your driving history, and then work through things with you.

Important points here is that while you may be trying to do the right thing, and this is frustrating as a lawyer because I see this all the time where people are trying to do the right things, and they seem to get a little bit dogged by the system:

• It may be cheaper to retain legal counsel than just paying stuff off and getting hit with all the different costs and late fees, and fines, and things of that nature.

 

Now that’s not a promise, each case is different. Each circumstance is different.

That’s why we offer a free consultation. We can tell you what we think. We can tell you what things will cost, and then you can make a decision.

For the record, you can always appear in court by yourself. You can always handle traffic tickets by yourself. There’s no law that says you have to hire a lawyer.

You can also, as I tell people, you can give yourself your own haircut, if you like to or pull your own teeth as a dentist.

No law against it, it just doesn’t always work out the best for you.

I’ve also seen people go to court and handle things just fine by themselves.

On traffic matters, in many cases, it doesn’t hurt to get that free consultation.

The Lawyer won’t be mad if you decide to go your own way or do something different. That’s part of the process.

If you have a question about a traffic matter in North Carolina, in the Charlotte Metro region, or one of the surrounding counties, give us a ring.

The consultation is confidential and free.  Call Now:  704-342-HELP.

 

704-342-4357

 

We’re here to help you, and thanks for posting your inquiry.

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