My legal bills have exceeded $20,000

[daveyboy]

The expenses for preparing for my DUI trial have now exceeded $20,000. This is unusually high, but i want to use this experience to educate myself on the workings of teh criminal justice system.

So far, I am convinced that if you spend enough money, you can create reasonable doubt anyplace.

That's absolutely incredible! I almost choked on my lunch when I read $20,000......for a DUI!! Really man, that's unbelievable. You don't mention anything in your thread about how it's draining you financially so I'm assuming that you're doing ok moneywise. Well......it must be nice...lol

Hope it all works out in your favor.

You ARE going to let us know how this all ends up when it's all over & done with, aren't you?

 

[velvett]

Thanks for sharing!




Makes me feel much better about my own bills.

 

[MattTheSkywalker]

DUI is a misdemeanor in FL. In additon to fines and service hours, you could be sentenced to up to 6 months in jail.

First offense = in all likelihood no time. Fines are capped $505 (don't ask why, I don't know) or $1000 if your BAC is above 0.20.

I want to get a dismissal or be acquitted. I've thought at times about becoming involved in politics (other than as a donor lol) and criminal justice is an area I would like to influence. To have influence you need knwoledge, and to get knowledge you need to be involved. Unfortunately, most people that get invovled (prosecutor etc.) are also getting paid by the same organizations that keep the status quo in place.

As a defendant, you can see the justice system first hand, with all its flaws and its good points too. Most people tend to plead out in order to stop teh legal bills. The sheer cost of things makes trials unachievable for most people (a trial attorney can be $3000 per day or more), so your constitutionally protected "right to a trial" is often out of one's price range.

I'll post more about it all when I am done.



Ariolanine,

you come to Jacksonville anytime brother. door's always open and I have guest rooms. Most airlines service the airport and I am 25 mins away.

 

[Warik]

I spent $70 on a speeding ticket. Matt doesn't fuck around though. He would throw 5 Gs down quickly and screw the state out of their $323.

-Warik

 

[manny78]

DUI is a misdemeanor in FL. In additon to fines and service hours, you could be sentenced to up to 6 months in jail.

First offense = in all likelihood no time. Fines are capped $505 (don't ask why, I don't know) or $1000 if your BAC is too high.

I want to get a dismissal or be acquitted. I've thought at times about becoming involved in politics (other than as a donor lol) and this is an area I would like to influence. To have influence you need knwoledge, and to get knowledge you need to be involved. Unfortuantely, most people that get invovled are also getting paid by the same orgnaizations that keep the status quo in place.

As a defendant, you can see the justice system first hand, with all its flaws and its good points too. Most people tend to plead out in order to stop teh legal bills. The sheer cost of things makes trials unachievable for most people (a trial attorney can be $3000 per day or more), so your constitutionally protected "right to a trial" is often out of one's price range.

I'll post more about it all when I am done.

Matt, this is the most expensive non-criminal DUI without any deaths/injured or whatever I've seen in my whole life. Did you hire Johny Cochran ? Ron Shappiro ?

 

[muscle_geek]

I was just convicted a month ago in Texas for a first offense DUI. I didn't take the breathalizer and I thought I had a good chance to win my case, but MADD really makes it almost impossible. I spent 5K on an attorney and in retrospect I could have done just as good representing myself. I got my license suspended for 6 months and a 1K fine with $225 in court costs. They gave me an occupational license so I can drive between 7 AM and 7 PM. The biggest issue with the conviction will be an enormous increase in my car insurance. It sucks when you see people that are REALLY drinking and driving and dangerous and they never get caught. I had about 3 beers and I accidentally scraped an off duty cop's car in a parking lot. This was at a club so they called the field sobriety team and I thought I did well on the video. In the end I determined that it wasn't worth the risk taking it to trial. Good Luck to you Matt.

 

[Fonz]

Matt, this is the most expensive non-criminal DUI without any deaths/injured or whatever I've seen in my whole life. Did you hire Johny Cochran ? Ron Shappiro ?

LOL

No.......most trial lawyers are quite expensive.

But I refuse to believe they spent more than 33 hours on his case.

Matt, when you get their full bill..post the breakdown of their bill.

I would love to see that.

I seriously think you're being swindled. Its one thing to pay for quality......but $20K? No. Thats just bizzare.

Fonz

 

[Bikini Mod]

Thanks, George.

Be careful bmom. It was said long ago that the apocalypse would be signaled by, and I quote, "someone agreeing with Warik 3 times." The world can't end before we see the outcome of Matt's trial.

-Warik

LOL

 

[MattTheSkywalker]

LOL

No.......most trial lawyers are quite expensive.

But I refuse to believe they spent more than 33 hours on his case.

Matt, when you get their full bill..post the breakdown of their bill.

I would love to see that.

I seriously think you're being swindled. Its one thing to pay for quality......but $20K? No. Thats just bizzare.

Fonz

Fonz,

Here is the detailed explanaton:

Much, not all, of it is legal bills. I have also spent money on experts to file reports calling into question the viability of the results of different tests. There is a greater goal than just acquittal.

Consistency is obviously crucial to court cases. So much of what lawyers do is find case law from the same jurisdiction that favors them. Prosecutors do likewise. Establish a judicial precedent that supports you and you can win.

In the absence of precedent, (or statute) courts have to rule. This creates case law that establishes precedent.

By utilizing experts (even an engineer) I am hoping to create case law favorable to other DUI defendants. The court will hopefully have to rule on some of what I am doing. By forcing a trial, I force a ruling. If I plead out and accept a lesser charge, there is no case law created.

This could totally backfire. Any lawyer can tell you about "bad law" (especially in tort cases). This is where you create a precedent that may help you once, but hurts you more in the long run.

There is another potential problem: create a precedent too helpful, and the legislature will close the loophole when they see every defense attorney scurrying through it. Once that is done, precedent is worthless. One DUI example was the argument that being above the BAC did not mean you were drnk. Most states have statutes, called "per se" statutes, that state that if you are over the limit, you're impaired, period. (This was an early defense. The loophole has been closed)

So creation of documents is very important: wording, message, etc. This is part of the reason that everything is being done in a very methodical, detailed fashion.

if I do it right, I get acquitted and perhaps change policy.

 

[Frackal]

Matt, of all the things to work on, I do not understand why you would work to improve the chances of DUI offendors. I see not many things more heinous and selfish than to be so unable to control yourself that you risk everyone else's life on the road because you couldn't find an alternative to drinking and driving.

If anything, I'd like to see DUI laws strengthened.