Massachusetts Supreme Court Rules Motorists Must Pay Ticket Fees Guilty Or Not

Massachusetts Supreme Court Rules Motorists Must Pay Ticket Fees Guilty Or Not
Motorists issued a traffic ticket in Massachusetts will have to pay money to the state whether or not they committed the alleged crime. According to a state supreme court ruling handed down yesterday, fees are to be imposed even on those found completely innocent. The high court saw no injustice in collecting $70 from Ralph C. Sullivan after he successfully fought a $100 ticket for failure to stay within a marked lane.

Bay State drivers given speeding tickets and other moving violations have twenty days either to pay up or make a non-refundable $20 payment to appeal to a clerk-magistrate. After that, further challenge to a district court judge can be had for a non-refundable payment of $50. Sullivan argued that motorists were being forced to pay "fees" not assessed on other types of violations, including drug possession. He argued this was a violation of the Constitution's Equal Protection clause, but the high court justices found this to be reasonable.
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Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 9/22/2011 12:40:29 PM
+1 Boost
The officer who reported the false violation should have to pay all fees if the case is won by the defendant. Otherwise all fees including the fine should be paid by the defendant if they are found guilty.


800over800over - 9/23/2011 10:30:22 AM
+1 Boost
So officers won't arrest anyone because they're responsible for court fees? Is that what you want? Not found guilt does not equal innocent. People are found not guilty all the time even when they are guilty.


800over800over - 9/23/2011 10:31:03 AM
+1 Boost
The fees are bogus. But putting it back on the officer is even more crazy.


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 9/23/2011 10:46:07 AM
+1 Boost
It would ensure that the tickets the officer does issue are legitimate in the first place. It would also ensure a better offense tracking method as I am sure the police wouldn't want to be charged for actual offenses. In the end you'll get fewer innocent people being ticketed and a more accurate judgement as to guilty/not guilty.


M35MTM35MT - 9/22/2011 12:40:59 PM
+7 Boost
I live in the overtaxed, corrupt state of MA.

If my job wasn't here, I'd be gone in a second.


Agent009Agent009 - 9/22/2011 1:29:26 PM
+1 Boost
Opens the door for a automated ticking camera scam.

You get a incorrect ticket but they get income from you regardless. Gotta love the logic.


Agent009Agent009 - 9/22/2011 2:41:56 PM
+2 Boost
LOL.. I got nailed two weeks ago for a "Do not turn on red".

In going over it with the officer, I asked how long had the sign been there (I had never noticed it before). Her response was "about 2 hours sir". I felt it was like a cheap shot at meeting a quota. (Scam #1)


So I went to apply for defensive driving at the city clerk and wipe the ticket off my record. My last ticket was 6 years ago.

The clerk ask how do you plead, no contest or guilty? I asked the difference.

Guilty - You pay the ticket and fee and defensive driving.
No Contest - You pay a fee and defensive driving.

I then asked why would you plead guilty? The clerk responded with "I have no clue but most people plead guilty". (scam #2)




Bmw8terBmw8ter - 9/22/2011 3:41:09 PM
+2 Boost
Going over the small details doesn't work when you have a speeding ticket. I recently went to court for excessive speed in the Atlanta, GA area. Everybody in the ATL area knows the highways are grossly under speed at 55mph. I have to give Georgia a thumbs up though for not wasting the consumers time like the other states I've lived in.

There is no traffic school to keep points off your license. You just show up on your court date and plead no contest and they'll either dismiss it or cut it so low that you pay a much smaller fine, don't get points and it doesn't go on your record. On compliance things like rolling stops and "no right on red", I didn't see were they charged any of them. They dimissed them all. The speeding ones were harder to get out of. Thank you Fulton County.

I can't stand traffic school. Everytime you go to one the instructor always tells you it'll only be an hour because he knows no one wants to be there, and 3 hours later you're still f***ing there.


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 9/23/2011 10:47:45 AM
0 Boost
lol, I'm not surprised you were caught drinking in public :)


MonopolyMonopoly - 9/23/2011 1:56:27 PM
+1 Boost
Hmm.........? I wonder where the Tea Party movement is now?
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