Time flies. Dates creep up. Meetings get missed. Most of the time, forgetting to be somewhere means a sheepish apology and a request to reschedule. But not when we miss a court date. Forgetting to appear in court on the right day and at the right time can have serious consequences: fines, lost wages, unemployment, and even jail.
In 2019, Gloria Diaz, a single, pregnant mother, was pulled over for a routine traffic stop. The officer gave her a ticket and a court date. But that court appearance was just days before her due date, and when it arrived so had her baby girl. Missing her court date cost Gloria fines, a suspended driver’s license, and more.
Four years later, after Gloria had paid her fines, her license had been reinstated, and she had passed a federal background check to become a preschool teacher, she was stopped for going 7 mph over the speed limit. It was only then and there on the side of the road that she learned of an outstanding arrest warrant for her “Failure-to-Appear.” Gloria was handcuffed in front of her 3-year-old daughter and spent the night in county jail. The next morning, a “flabbergasted” judge released her with a $250 fine…