Failure to appear (FTA) late fee
If you have received a letter stating that your license is set to be suspended from the DMV in approximately 60 days for failing to appear in a court case, we can help.
If you are client and have received this letter, do not worry. The reason you have received this letter is almost certainly due to the fact that your court costs have not been paid yet. Despite the fact the letter states it is a failure to appear, it is more accurately described as a failure to comply.
The clerk's office has changed the record keeping process in their computer systems. Now, instead of recording the reduction after we have it resolved in court, they wait until it is paid, then enter the reduction. This means that if the payment is never received, the computer system still thinks that the case was never handled.
Once your court costs are paid, the license suspension issue will be resolved in a few days once the DMV receives confirmation of payment.
The only draw back is that after 20 days have passed from the date the case was resolved, the court will automatically add a $200 FTA late fee. If the ticket was in Mecklenburg or Iredell county, we can file paperwork and ask the Judge to strike and eliminate the late fee. If the ticket was in Rowan county, you will be subject to a $50 late fee. We can not eliminate the late fee in Rowan county.
In order to have ARL-Law request the court to strike the late fee for an existing client, you must do the following:
Once we receive all of these documents, we will go to court and ask the Judge to strike the late fee. If the Judge does strike the late fee, we will then file the paperwork and pay the court costs for you.
If you are client and have received this letter, do not worry. The reason you have received this letter is almost certainly due to the fact that your court costs have not been paid yet. Despite the fact the letter states it is a failure to appear, it is more accurately described as a failure to comply.
The clerk's office has changed the record keeping process in their computer systems. Now, instead of recording the reduction after we have it resolved in court, they wait until it is paid, then enter the reduction. This means that if the payment is never received, the computer system still thinks that the case was never handled.
Once your court costs are paid, the license suspension issue will be resolved in a few days once the DMV receives confirmation of payment.
The only draw back is that after 20 days have passed from the date the case was resolved, the court will automatically add a $200 FTA late fee. If the ticket was in Mecklenburg or Iredell county, we can file paperwork and ask the Judge to strike and eliminate the late fee. If the ticket was in Rowan county, you will be subject to a $50 late fee. We can not eliminate the late fee in Rowan county.
In order to have ARL-Law request the court to strike the late fee for an existing client, you must do the following:
- Send my office the amended citation/court costs bill that was sent to you via email or mail.
- Send my office a money order made payable to the "clerk of court" in the amount listed on the bill you received.
- Send my office a money order for $100, made payable to "Law Offices of Aaron R. Lee"
Once we receive all of these documents, we will go to court and ask the Judge to strike the late fee. If the Judge does strike the late fee, we will then file the paperwork and pay the court costs for you.
