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ThrillDr1 t1_j9hnbia wrote

Absolutely appeal that ticket. It'll cost you $25 extortion fee to appeal it. The first time you go to the court you will not be meeting with a judge, you will be meeting with a clerk. The police officers do not show up at this stage. There is a representative of the police department there who reads into the record the police officers version of events.

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[deleted] OP t1_j9hozxn wrote

Is it worth it to hire an attorney or should I try to take this on myself?

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jkjeeper06 t1_j9hpc03 wrote

Most people plead their case themselves in MA unless its egregious. Yours is not that.

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ThrillDr1 t1_j9hqs6f wrote

Nope. Your first appearance you absolutely do not need a lawyer.

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prberkeley t1_j9jgavn wrote

And if the magistrate finds you responsible you can always hire an attorney before your court date.

Absolutely fight it. If the state wants to hit you with this then make them work for it and use the court's time and resources.

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notmyrealname17 t1_j9i135o wrote

Not worth hiring an attorney, basically the first time you go in you'll be talking to the court magistrate and a representative of the police dept who will read the police report. If you can't convince the court magistrate you didn't commit the offense you can pay another $50 to take it to actual court and at that point the cop has to show up otherwise you're off.

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abat6294 t1_j9ht1gv wrote

If you want better chances, you could try Off The Record. Look them up, I've heard good things about them.

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Sean2917 t1_j9i8j6u wrote

Off the record gives a 90% chance of getting it dismissed, but will cost around $250. Might be worth it, just to save insurance points possibly?

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