Legal Question in Traffic Law in Washington

Re: License suspended from failure to pay a fine 13 yrs ago

First, enter a plea of not guilty to the DWLS 3rd Degree charge.

Contact the court in which the DUI case was filed and verify the status of your legal financial obligations. Be advised that some district courts will not have records this old. If not, contact the probation department to inquire whether they have discharge report or order indicating successful completion of probation.

If the court made an error, you need to request that the court notify the Department of Licensing. Obtain written proof of the error and provide a copy to the prosecuting attorney (and court) in the DWLS case.

If you do have an outstanding balance on the DUI, and believe that you paid in full, you will be required to show proof of payment, e.g. probation report, cancelled check, receipt. If you do not have proof, you can request a hearing to have a judge consider the matter. The court may clear the balance, based upon a belief that it had been paid or based upon the age of the account/case and lack of collection efforts.

If it is ultimately decided that you owe a balance, pay it immediately and you should be able to reinstate your driving privilege wtihin a few days.

If the court was in error on the DUI case, you should have an easy time getting the DWLS charge dismissed. If there truly was an outstanding balance, there may be a number of defenses you could raise. This forum is not the place for such specific legal advice. You should be represented by an attorney.