What should you do if you miss your traffic ticket court date but you had a good reason?

I would like to discuss something that I noticed while I’m waiting in court. Defendants would often come in and they have missed their court date. And when they get to the podium, the first thing the judge asks is, “What happened? “Why you miss your date?”

And usually when you miss your court date, you’re subject to a contempt fine and/or attachment and they’re trying to make a determination about what are they gonna do. Are they going make you pay the contempt fine? Are they willing to recall the attachment? And in some cases, people have valid reasons for why they’re missing their date.

But the first thing the court will ask was, “Well, do you have proof or do you have paperwork?” People may have been in an accident or may have been arrested in another jurisdiction. Maybe they were sick and had to have an emergency procedure or a family member got sick. Regardless, the court always, always asks for paperwork.

So I would say that if you miss your court date and you have a valid reason, then you should do like you were a kid in school. Show and tell. So yes, tell your story but if there’s any paperwork that can help prove why you weren’t able to be there, it would definitely help your case.

If you have situation in dealing with traffic court, traffic tickets, or suspended licenses, I’d be happy to offer you my thoughts. You can text me or schedule a free strategy session at trafficticketsnola.com.