Salutations,
I very recently received three letters in the mail from the county court house, each stating that I owe a $20 fine. The letter says:
The Court Orders:
1. Judgment is granted in favor of the creditor and against the defendant/debtor for the amount owed. Twelve percent (12%) interest will be added from the date of entry of judgment.
2. This judgment shall be entered in the judgment and lien docket.
3. No docketing fee shall be charged.
--
It states before that the creditor is Clerk of Circuit Court.
I called the court house and found out that these three fines are from 1999, 2001, and 2002. Each are from when I was on juvenile probation (I was 13, 15, and 16 at the time), and they say I was told that before the end of each probationary period, I would have to pay a $20 fee. I apparently was also told that the juvenile, me, is responsible for the fee, and not my guardian.
The first problem I see is, I did not think a juvenile could be bound by a contract, nor was I aware that the court could make me, not my guardian, solely responsible. I would assume that my mom was told the same thing that I was, because as far as I know, in order to enter a contract with a minor you also need a guardian to co-sign. If indeed my mother was made aware, she most likely paid the fees. She is an accountant and throughout all of her life, she has been very good with financial matters. I have contacted her and she told me she is entirely unaware of any unpaid fees.
What I notice is that I am being told that I am late, in one case, 10 years after I received this fee, for the first time. I was on probation three different times, and I would have thought that they would have brought it up after I came back. With that aside...
I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps over five years ago, and one prerequisite to enlist was to ensure that I had no outstanding fines, fees, tickets, or other legal obligations. I had to actually go to the court house and get a statement giving me the green light. I also had to get a statement from my probation officer, who added, "David has been a model probationer." It seems to me that if ever there was a time to tell me about this fee, that was the time. They told me I was in the clear though. There is, of course and thankfully, a paper trail to prove this. The Marines have that information.
I am wondering if I am still obligated in every legal way to pay these fines, and if not, how do I go about nixing them?
One thing that bothered me is they title me the defendant, but never once contacted me so I could defend myself. It looks like the ruling has already passed, and if that is so, I should have at least been afforded the opportunity to contest.
Please get back to me as soon as you can.
Respectfully,
David B. Moronez
I very recently received three letters in the mail from the county court house, each stating that I owe a $20 fine. The letter says:
The Court Orders:
1. Judgment is granted in favor of the creditor and against the defendant/debtor for the amount owed. Twelve percent (12%) interest will be added from the date of entry of judgment.
2. This judgment shall be entered in the judgment and lien docket.
3. No docketing fee shall be charged.
--
It states before that the creditor is Clerk of Circuit Court.
I called the court house and found out that these three fines are from 1999, 2001, and 2002. Each are from when I was on juvenile probation (I was 13, 15, and 16 at the time), and they say I was told that before the end of each probationary period, I would have to pay a $20 fee. I apparently was also told that the juvenile, me, is responsible for the fee, and not my guardian.
The first problem I see is, I did not think a juvenile could be bound by a contract, nor was I aware that the court could make me, not my guardian, solely responsible. I would assume that my mom was told the same thing that I was, because as far as I know, in order to enter a contract with a minor you also need a guardian to co-sign. If indeed my mother was made aware, she most likely paid the fees. She is an accountant and throughout all of her life, she has been very good with financial matters. I have contacted her and she told me she is entirely unaware of any unpaid fees.
What I notice is that I am being told that I am late, in one case, 10 years after I received this fee, for the first time. I was on probation three different times, and I would have thought that they would have brought it up after I came back. With that aside...
I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps over five years ago, and one prerequisite to enlist was to ensure that I had no outstanding fines, fees, tickets, or other legal obligations. I had to actually go to the court house and get a statement giving me the green light. I also had to get a statement from my probation officer, who added, "David has been a model probationer." It seems to me that if ever there was a time to tell me about this fee, that was the time. They told me I was in the clear though. There is, of course and thankfully, a paper trail to prove this. The Marines have that information.
I am wondering if I am still obligated in every legal way to pay these fines, and if not, how do I go about nixing them?
One thing that bothered me is they title me the defendant, but never once contacted me so I could defend myself. It looks like the ruling has already passed, and if that is so, I should have at least been afforded the opportunity to contest.
Please get back to me as soon as you can.
Respectfully,
David B. Moronez