REOPENING ALCOHOL AND MARIJUANA TICKETS TO AVOID OR STOP DRIVERS' LICENSE SUSPENSIONS
As we have written on the Possession of Alcohol By a Minor and Marijuana Possession pages, individuals under the age of 21 who do those things and pay the tickets will have their drivers licenses or driving privileges suspended by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). For a few reasons that is not a desirable outcome. For one, you cannot drive, which just makes life and work more difficult. For another, there will be a suspension on your driving record which could impact insurance and other opportunities.
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR LICENSE IS SUSPENDED
So what can you do about it? To start, call me. What can we do about it? We can help you reopen the case to stop the suspension. Chances are you paid the ticket by mail. We will take it to court and fight it there.
HAS YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE BEEN SUSPENDED FOR AN ALCOHOL OR MARIJUANA TICKET?
CONTACT US TODAY
HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO REOPEN A TICKET TO FIGHT A SUSPENSION
There are two timelines you have to follow when reopening a ticket. The first is the date and length of a suspension. You want to reopen before the suspension starts so that you can avoid it entirely. Even if your suspension starts, it is not too late. Successfully reopening the case halts the suspension. The second time limit is 120 days from the conviction (when the ticket is paid). After that time passes, it may no longer be possible to reopen the case. It will remain on your record.
HOW TO REOPEN AN ALCOHOL OR MARIJUANA INFRACTION
Tickets are usually paid through the mail or online. We reopen them by filing a motion in the criminal court that has jurisdiction over the offense. We gather the information necessary to draft a motion and formulate legal arguments that justify reopening the case. Motions to reopen are at the discretion of the court: they could be denied and if they are, your recourse to appeal is limited. In some cases we have to argue the motion orally before the judge. That is why it is best to have an attorney handle this kind of motion. We have reopened clients' cases in New Haven, Meriden, Norwalk, Danbury, Rockville, New London, New Britain, and Bristol.
ATTORNEY TO REOPEN AND FIGHT SUSPENSIONS
We have reopened numerous cases for clients--alcohol, marijuana and traffic infractions--when they were facing suspensions of their drivers licenses or non-resident operating privileges. Due to the time sensitivity of these situations, we can often file a motion to reopen on the next court day after being retained. Contact us as soon as possible to discuss your case.