So I went to the mailbox the other day and was surprised to see an envelope from the law firm of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP. Surprised really to see a letter from any law firm. Having been through the lawsuit wringer before (well maybe it was a washboard not a wringer) I was a little nervous to open the envelope. Nervous enough that I had to open it right there and then standing on on my driveway. I was hoping for stupid junk mail or maybe some Nigerian e-mail scam turned postal.
After opening the envelope and pulling out the letter I tried to quickly process it. The letter said something about parking tickets for a license plate that didn't belong to either of my cars. But wait... the license plate does seem a bit familiar... and what is the date on those tickets? 1998? Oh crap. Then I remembered the license plate of the car I owned almost 10 years ago. The license plate that is still in a box in the basement on top of the license plates from all the cars that I've owned, my parents have owned since I've been alive, and maybe some others I've collected.
As you may have guessed by now, this was a letter from a law firm representing the City of Chicago. The city decided that after 9 1/2 years I owe $440 for 4 tickets - straight up. Do I remember getting those tickets? Not specifically. But I do remember that was the year I left Chicago (and the state) and sold the car to a junkyard for $25. I remember that was the last summer for that car and that it didn't work very often. It certainly seems possible that I got some tickets, but I don't remember specifics. Really most of the details are blurred through the lens of 9 1/2 years.
To add insult to injury, the glorious City of Chicago has informed me that I've been found liable through an Administrative Hearing process. This process is now over, my time to contest the tickets has come and gone, and this is my final notice. The final notice was sent via regular mail - not registered mail or something to prove I received it. If I don't pay they claim they could put a lien on my property or garnish my wages. Why is this the first letter I've received? It's not as if I've been hiding out under a false name. Granted, I did leave town for a couple years, but I've lived in Illinois for the last 7 1/2 years. Was I really that hard to find? I have a drivers license, two cars registered in my name, and I faithfully pay state income taxes.
Should I pay? I think I'll consult with my attorney.
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4 comments:
While I agree you haven't exactly been hiding and the first notice is the final notice, you could talk with a lawyer. But as somebody who has been thru the legal system because I thought I was "right", when you are talking $440, you could easily spend that just getting a lawyer's opinion.
That being said, if you feel strongly about it and don't mind spending 10x that amount, head for the courts. You certainly have a case for not getting notice sooner. But will that change the total out of pocket you'll spend in proving it.
If the time-frame for the tickets matches when you were in Chicago, then you prob. owe the money. Granted the interest is bogus given how long they got around to telling you about it. This is about as fair as the IRS telling you that you have a mistake in your 1040 from 2 years ago and BTW, you owe a penalty PLUS interest, yada yada.
Nothing is certain but death and taxes....
On that note, saw an interesting conspiracy theory movie about how income tax on personal income is not a required tax. I'm not about to stop paying as the GOV has the guns and can throw my butt in jail 'cause they don't like the way I look. If you are bored and like these kind of flicks, it might be your cup of tea.
I always "lose" these letters between the mailbox and my front door.
I decided to avoid the rath of the City of Chicago and paid my fine. Why it took them 10 years to find me is beyond me... I guess I've been hiding in plain site.
This is really strange...For some reason I was thinking this could some kind of scam. Did you make sure this is for real?
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Helen from the get paid to take surveys blog
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