Thread: Need some help understanding legal terms (traffic ticket)

Hello gents:

So I got a speeding ticket on 2/12/14 and I paid the bail amount on 3/4/14. Everything is due on 4/18/14 according to the citation. I went online to request/schedule traffic school and it said: Case Closed, Bail Forfeiture on 3/4/14 and that I couldn't register for traffic school. What's going on? What does bail forfeiture mean and how come it won't let me register for traffic school? Is it case closed and I get a point on my record or is there other steps I can take?

Thanks!

I am NOT a lawyer. This is NOT legal advice. I live in CA and have had a "speeding" violation in the recent past. As I found out, dealing with legal matters online can get screwed up fast and easily for some 'strange' reason, which resulted in me paying more. Go figure. Contact the clerk's office asap.

You pay bail in the amount of the offense or maybe a tad more. if you don't show up the bail serves as your penalty amount in lieu of you showing up. So, you didn't appear and the bail went towards the penalty and they closed the case. You will have to check to see how many points you got though since you don't have the traffic school option.

I'm not a lawyer by the way.

Better contact the PD or Prosecutors office.

Find out through your county's website where the traffic clerk(court) is located. You will need to go in person and explain your situation to them & have the citation placed back on calender or the clerk may simply be able to change the disposition & give you a school date. There may be a small fee for this? For sure , there will be a line of people ahead of you, expect to be there a while.

This is not the sort of thing you want to have them explain to you next time you get traffic stopped. Traffic courts are the least "multi-state" legal sort of thing of all. You need local advise, this could play out any number of ways. I'd go to the clerk of the court.

I have the JD, but never practiced.

I'm not a lawyer and I despise California... always plead not guilty get a court date... make a plea bargain with the da (if you are guilty) pay your fine and be happy. it you plead guilty and send in the citation you are at the mercy of the court or the traffic code... when you plead not guilty you give them leeway to work out a better (for you) charge.

I paid the amount stated and the citation I received said I had to do that no matter what. I still have until April 18 however to go to court and plead not guilty and/or request traffic school. What I don't understand is why it says case closed when I still have nearly a month to resolve this. I will for sure go in person, I tried calling and its just a string of automated messages.

According to the back of my citation:

If you do NOT contest the violation:

a. Pay the bail amount. You will not have to appear in court, you will be convicted of the violation and a point will be added on your record.
b. Traffic school. You may be able to avoid the point count by completing traffic school. You will still have to pay the bail amount and other fees, contact the court to request traffic school.

According to this I should be fine, yet they closed my case without me even being able to request traffic school. I'm most certain its been a few years since my last speeding ticket, do they normally make mistakes like this?

It might not be a mistake. There may be lots of their procedure that you don't understand and isn't published. Just call and talk to some real live people in that court/office.

I used to get enough points for a warning of license suspension letter (TN Habitual Motor Vehicle Offender) every few years...

Talk to the County Clerk man. In person might even be the best route. I paid a ticket once in pennies, they hated that.