Hoping for some parking ticket legal help

My roommate got a summons of some kind in the mail today for four unpaid parking tickets in New York City. The summons only list his license plate number and that it's a Chevrolet registered in Pennsylvania. We live in Northeast Pa., probably about 3 hours west of NYC.

Here's the intriguing thing. My roommate hasn't been to NYC since New Year's Eve 2007, when he was there to welcome in 2008. One of the citations was for a parking ticket on Dec. 13, 2007. Two of the other ones are from August of this past year. And here, again, comes another intriguing point. After I got laid off in April, I was driving my roommate's car when mine blew up the same day I got laid off. While I was driving his car, the motor blew up on me sometime in May as I was making the hour drive home from my new job one night. We never had the car fixed. It's been sitting in our driveway from May until now. So ... how can his car be cited for being illegally parked in NYC if it's actually legally parked in my driveway three hours away.

In all, the four fines totaled more than $500 which he can't afford to pay, and shouldn't have to pay since it wasn't his car that was there. What recourse does he have? I'm sure I can get the info from AAA of when we had the car towed off the interstate in May, and where we had it towed to, since they write that information down. But otherwise, should my buddy consult a lawyer, or is he just screwed?

Thanks for you help.

 

Consult a lawyer. Make them prove that the car was the one that they ticketed.

 

If you live in Pennsylvania, how can NYC make you pay parking tickets anyway?

 

if roomie doesn't plan on going to new york anymore, why worry?

 

All the same avatars in the last three posts from different people is effing with me.

 

Send them a letter telling them to take those tickets and jam them .

 

Check the summons for how to contest; then start gathering as much written evidence as you can to dispute the claims.

Do not blow it off unless you are absolutely sure it is nothing worthwhile. Otherwise, some day, 10 years from now your buddy is going to get stopped for public disturbance or some mickey mouse thing and find himself locked up for a failure to appear.

 

Go to the hearing. Never skip a court hearing because once they issue a default order, you are almost certainly cooked. Get the AAA records and go as his witness. You don't need a lawyer. One might be helpful, but not necessary. Gather whatever evidence you have to prove where that car was on the dates in question.

You may want to contact the city legal dept (or whoever it is that is suing you over the tickets) and explain the situation (live out of state, wasn't in NYC on dates in question, car has been inoperative, etc). They will probably tell you to come to court anyways, but there is a chance this works and you can convince them to dismiss. But politely demand to speak to the attorney who will be in court that day. At the very least, they will take a second look at the file.

 

That, or ignore it and the subsequent letters which will come threatening to take your first born for the next two years and then never think about it again as long as you live in Pennsylvania or any other state except New York.

 

You mean not think about it when you pay more interest on your mortgage because you have an unpaid judgment on your credit report?

 

Or can't get a mortgage because of an unpaid judgment on your credit report.

 

You won't get an unpaid judgment on your credit report, especially if you don't live in New York. I know this from experience.