When you are summoned to court for any reason, you must appear. If you have been charged with breaking the law – even minor traffic offenses – you must appear in court unless told otherwise by an authorized court official. Failing to do so could lead to serious consequences for you.
There are various reasons why you may be required to show up for court, including:
You are required by law to show up to court on the specified date and time. If you choose to skip the court date, you may be charged with the offense of failing to appear in court.
It is a criminal offense to fail to appear in court. In addition to fees and fines, there will generally be a warrant issued for your arrest. The original charge does not disappear; this charge will also be added. For example, failing to show up in court for an impaired driving would mean that you will have two sets of charges before the court, the original driving offense, as well as the new fail to appear in court charge.
If a judge has to issue a bench warrant for your arrest, the following legal consequences could apply:
It is important that you hire a lawyer if you have been charged with a failure to appear in court. The Law Office of Kalina & Tejpal has handled many of these offenses, and we can develop a strategy to help you avoid severe consequences, such as time in prison. We will use our experience, resources, knowledge, and skills to help you plead your case to the courts, to ensure the most favourable result to you in the circumstances.