Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Massachusetts

Re: Motor vehicle charges

You are always better off having a knowledgeable lawyer with you when you are looking at serious charges. I doubt he will need a lawyer, however. He should appear in court at the appointed time and wait for his case to be called. Assuming this is the first hearing on the case, and is in district court, he should say, "Second call, please." This means the clerk will set the file aside to be called again later that morning. When the court takes a break after all the caseshave been called, he should find the assistant district attorney handling the case and talk to him or her, showing the documents. The ada should ask the court to dismiss the case when it is called again, or you can offer the documents to the court asking for a dismissal. If the judge agrees to look at the papers, hand them to a court officer or to the clerk, not to the judge directly.

If the documents show what you say, the court should dismiss the case. If the ada or the judge believes you know where the owner is, they might want to continue the case to insure your cooperation.

If that does not happen, ask the court to continue the case to allow you time to get a lawyer.