I got a fix it ticket for tinted tail lights and tinted windows. I corrected the issue and the officer said I was good. I was not aware I needed to mail the ticket into the courthouse since the office said I was good. I got a failure to appear with $1000 fine. Through peers I heard that a fix it ticket was only $50 how did this turn into a 1k fine?? I plan on telling the judge what the officer said and show him the ticket where I got it signed off. I can't afford $1000!
haron Paris BabakhanCriminal Defense AttorneyGlendale, CA ·
The reason it becomes $1000 is because the court does not have your paper with proof of corrections so you are sentenced to or liable for the tinted tail lights and tinted windows original ticket $$$$ plus a failure to appear which is about $500 on its own. Just go to court with your proof of corrections, explain to the judge what happened to you and why you did not appear to court (not intentional, not negligence, it's just based on what the officer said). If you don't have any other tickets then you can use that to your advantage that you have not been in the system and you did not know how it really works, so when the officer told you "You are good" you thought you were good. Same thing you are telling us on this forum. Make sure you mention that once you found out about the FTA you quickly took action to appear to court. Just be prepared with your justification and you will be fine. GOOD LUCK.
Tickets are like cancer; if they aren't treated properly, they get progressively worse.
When you signed the citation, you promised to appear in court. Even though you got the ticket signed off, there were additional penalties (and maybe even new charges) because you failed to file it with the court.
If the clerk places it back on calendar, you can explain what happened. I would strongly advise you NOT to say anything that the judge might understand as blaming the officer; you should take the position that you misunderstood what he said, and didn't realize you had to follow through with filing the correction with the court.
The judge may remove the penalties, but you're still going to have to pay a small proof of correction fee.
fix it ticket starts at $25 if fixed, or $200-$400 if not fixed. Then, failure to appear in court adds $300 civil punishment plus $400 vehicle code punishment (yes, calling one of the punishments "civil" is a government scheme to double punish for the same offense) (approximate fine and fees).
